Gunshots reported as demonstrators defy ban to protest against Guinea's junta

Young demonstrators clashed with security forces in the Guinean capital on Thursday after an outlawed opposition group defied a ban on protests to rally against the country's ruling junta.

A protest in Conakry on 28 July, 2022. Guinea's military rulers have outlawed demonstrations since May. AFP - CELLOU BINANI

The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), which called the protest in Conakry, said five people had suffered gunshot wounds, one of whom was in a critical condition.

There was no immediate corroboration of this toll from other sources.

The West African country has been under military government since a September 2021 coup that ousted President Alpha Condé after more than ten years in power.

• Guinea's military junta dismisses UN calls to end ban on protests

An alliance of political parties, trade unions and civil groups, the FNDC spearheaded protests against Condé before his ouster.

It was officially dissolved in August by the junta-appointed government, which has also banned all demonstrations.

Amnesty International called the move "a serious infringement of the freedoms of association and peaceful assembly recognised by the Guinean Constitution", noting that the FNDC's protests were typically peaceful but had been met with excessive force.

More protests planned

At least five people were killed at rallies organized by the FNDC over the summer, as security forces reportedly cracked down on people defying the protest ban.

The coalition had called for peaceful demonstrations to take place in Conakry on Thursday, followed by nationwide protests on 26 October.

It is pushing for a rapid return to civilian rule and the release of prisoners that it says have been detained for political reasons.

• Ecowas leaders to slap gradual sanctions on Guinea's junta

Military leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has appointed himself president and undertaken to restore civilian rule within three years.

The unrest coincides with a visit to the country by the West African bloc Ecowas, which on 24 September gave Guinea a month to propose a new timeframe, or else face a tightening of sanctions that it has imposed.

(With AFP)