Stampede kills at least 56 at Guinea football match

CONAKRY, Guinea - A stampede at a football match dedicated to Guinea's junta chief killed at least 56 people, the government said Monday, as the opposition accused the military-led authorities of being "directly responsible" for the tragedy.

Fans at Sunday's game in the second city of N'Zerekore invaded the pitch after one or two players were sent off and a penalty was awarded to the opposing side Labe at the end of the game, witnesses said.

The events had initially been reported as clashes between fans.

Officials watching the match, including two ministers, were prevented from leaving, prompting stone throwing and the firing of tear gas by security forces, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Panic quickly set in, leading to an uncontrollable stampede," he said.

"People were trampled underfoot or injured as they tried to flee," he added.

The match in the southeastern city was the final of a tournament organized in honor of Guinea's junta leader, General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president.

The opposition has accused the junta of using sport for political ends.

Videos circulating on social media, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, show a huge crowd packed in the dilapidated stadium.

"The thousands of people at the stadium were gripped by panic and fear. It was every man for himself," said a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes," the government said in a statement which was read out on national television.

"Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56, with several others injured," it added, describing the incident as a "tragic event".

'Emergency mission'

Videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes, with people climbing what appear to be the stadium's perimeter walls to escape.

Others showed numerous bodies lying on the ground.

Doctors told AFP on Sunday that dozens had died.

Access to verified information in the remote part of the West African country is limited.

Local media reported that hospital wards and a morgue were overwhelmed by the injured and dead.

"The government is doing everything possible to respond to this tragic event," Doumbouya said in a statement on social media.

"An emergency mission led by the prime minister has been dispatched," he added.

Doumbouya said a commission of enquiry would be set up "to rule on the causes of this tragedy and to determine who is responsible".

The junta chief called for calm in the West African nation, which has a turbulent political history and remains poor despite considerable natural resources.

The crackdown on an opposition rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry left at least 156 people dead in 2009, according to a UN-mandated international commission of enquiry.

'Cynical use of sport'

Such football tournaments and other public gatherings have become common in Guinea in recent weeks, in what is widely seen as a campaign to promote Doumbouya's candidacy in any future presidential election.

The military seized power by force in September 2021 by overthrowing civilian President Alpha Conde.

Under international pressure, the junta pledged to hand power back to a civilian government by the end of 2024 but has since made clear it will not.

Several of Doumbouya's aides have recently expressed their support for his possible presidential bid.

One of the last remaining dissident voices in Guinea, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), published a statement expressing its "outrage" at the tragedy in N'Zerekore.

It said it held the junta chief and his government "directly responsible for this disaster, which cost the lives of innocent citizens, including many children".

"This demonstrates the cynical use of sport by the junta, exploiting these images of mobilisation for political ends," the statement added.

Former president Conde expressed "profound sadness and boundless outrage" in a social media post.

"In a context where the country is already marked by tensions and restrictions, this tragedy highlights the dangers of irresponsible organisation and a lack of adequate preparation," he said. — Agence France-Presse