CONAKRY, Guinea — Dozens of soccer fans, including children, were killed in a stampede as security forces tried to quell clashes during a soccer match at a crowded stadium in southern Guinea's largest city, according to media and a coalition of political parties.
The massacre broke out on Sunday afternoon in the city of Nzerekore during the final match of the domestic competition between the teams of Labe and Nzerekore in honor of the Guinean military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, said the Prime Minister of Guinea, Amadou Oury Bah, speaking at the X stadium.
“During the chaos, the victims were recorded,” said Bah, without elaborating on the number of those killed. District authorities are working to restore peace in the area, he added.
A coalition of political parties known as the National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy said in a statement that the stampede led to the death of a large number of injured people.
Local media reported that security forces tried to use tear gas to restore peace after the chaos that followed the controversial sentence.
“This (the contested penalty) angered the fans who threw stones. In this way, the security forces used tear gas,” reported local Media Guinea. It said that most of the dead were children and some of the injured were treated at the district hospital in critical condition.
Videos that appear to have been taken from the scene show part of the stadium shouting against the referee before clashes erupted with fans pouring onto the pitch.
People were running as they tried to cross the field, many jumping over a tall fence.
The videos also showed many people lying on the ground in what looked like a hospital as a crowd gathered around, some helping the injured.
The National Alliance for Alternative and Democracy has called for an investigation. It said the contest was organized to support the “illegal and improper” political ambition of the military leader.
Guinea has been led by the military since the military overthrew President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of the West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and is delaying the return to civilian rule.
Doumbouya took over as president three years ago, saying he was preventing the country from falling into chaos and punishing the previous government for breaking promises. However, he has been criticized for not living up to what he said.
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