Fifty-six people have been killed and several injured in a stampede at a football stadium in southern Guinea, following clashes between fans, the government says.
Authorities in the West African country are conducting an investigation to establish those responsible for the stampede on Sunday, Communications Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement read on national television on Monday.
Children were among those who died as security forces tried to quell clashes during a football match at a crowded stadium in southern Guinea’s largest city, according to local media and a coalition of political parties.
The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at the Nzerekore city during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on the X platform.
The regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area, he added.
Local media reported security forces tried to use teargas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.
“This (the disputed penalty) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” the local Media Guinee reported.
It said several of those killed were children while some of the injured being treated at a regional hospital were in a critical condition.
Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed a section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing before the clashes broke out as fans poured onto the field.
People were running as they tried to escape from the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence.
Videos also showed many people lying on the floor in what looked like a hospital as a crowd gathered nearby, some assisting the wounded.
The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy coalition called for an investigation. It said the tournament was organised to drum up support for the “illegal and inappropriate” political ambition of the military leader.
Guinea has been led by the military since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule.
Doumbouya overran the president three years ago, saying he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticised for not meeting the expectations that he raised.
