Guinea declares state of emergency amid party mood in winner’s camp

CONAKRY, Wednesday

Guinea’s acting leader declared a state of emergency today after violence which has raged since a disputed presidential election claimed three more lives.

Interim president General Sekouba Konate, who has led the troubled country since January, decreed a state of emergency would last until results which name opposition leader Alpha Conde the victor, are confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The announcement comes as the death toll since Monday rose to seven as three more bodies were discovered in Ratoma, the only suburb in Conakry which defeated candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo won in the November 7 vote.

“The president of the republic decrees a state of emergency throughout the country as of today November 17 until the proclamation of definitive presidential election results by the Supreme Court,” said Major Mohamed Kasse, reading the decree on national television.

In later comments to AFP, Kasse explained the decree meant “any protest, any gathering” was forbidden.

Mr Diallo, a member of the Fulani ethnic group, has said he is the rightful winner and is challenging the results, citing massive voter fraud.

While he called on his backers to refrain from violence his supporters have clashed with security forces in several of his strongholds around the country.

A doctor on board an ambulance in the Conakry district said three deaths had been recorded on Wednesday.

“We have witness accounts from the scene and we were told it was members of Fossepel who fired,” he said, referring to the special electoral security force set up by the interim government.

There was no official toll but earlier violence had claimed at least four lives, including three killed by security forces, according to various sources.

However Guinea’s interim prime minister, Jean Marie Dore, blamed the violence on Diallo’s supporters whom he branded as “hooligans.”

He said Diallo had sparked the protests on Monday with his fraud claims after the victory of Alpha Conde, who won 52.52 percent of the votes against Diallo’s 47.48 percent. The Supreme Court has to confirm the results.

Mr Dore, speaking on national television said: “In recent days, hooligans... have engaged in acts of vandalism by targeting innocent citizens and their property.”

“There were unacceptable acts, despite our repeated calls to respect the law,” he said, referring to unrest in Diallo’s electoral strongholds of Ratoma in Conakry and Labe, Pita and Dalaba in Middle Guinea, a predominantly Fulani ethnicity region.

Mr Dore said an overnight curfew had been imposed in the Labe region. As observers raised concerns of excessive force by Guinean security forces, Diallo accused them of “savage brutality” against his supporters and members of his Fulani ethnic group.

The firing of automatic weapons in Ratoma could be heard in the capital from Tuesday night until dawn.

Inhabitants and journalists from Pita and Dalaba contacted by phone accused police officers of abusing people and looting shops overnight.

After a campaign marred by ethnic clashes between the two majority tribes, the Fulani and Malinke, Conde reached out to his rival after being announced the victor, saying it was “time to join hands.” (AFP)