On October 21, the Guinean Ministry of Security announced the deaths of nine people, including two police officers, Amnesty International reports in a report on the tense situation following the presidential elections on October 18.
The Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG, opposition), announced on October 23 that 27 people had been shot dead since October 19, including 18 in Conakry, three in Manéah, three in Labé, one in Mamou, one in Télimélé and one in Pita, and that more than one hundred people were wounded by gunshot. The home of Cellou Dalein Diallo, president of the UFDG and presidential candidate, has been surrounded since October 20. The day before, he had proclaimed himself the winner of the ballot without waiting for the official announcement of the results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), which the opposition considers swallowed up by the government.
In a statement read on national television on October 23, the Minister of Territorial Administration announced the requisition of the army to “maintain order wherever needed throughout the national territory.” Prior to this official announcement, the army had been deployed to several locations. The rules issued by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) state that “as a general rule, military personnel should not be deployed for the maintenance of order during meetings and should not be used only in exceptional circumstances and only in cases of absolute necessity ”.
On October 22, in a statement read on national television, the same minister referred to “the use by demonstrators of 12-gauge rifles which were fired at citizens and also at agents of the defense and security forces. Amnesty International could not confirm the use of weapons by the protesters. On the other hand, the organization is able to assert on the basis of analyzed satellite images and authenticated videos that elements of the defense and security forces holding weapons of war used them in several localities, including Conakry and Labé.
A video filmed in Kobayah (Conakry) on October 21 and authenticated by Amnesty International shows a member of the defense and security forces wearing a helmet and wearing a bulletproof vest, firing three times and at person level in the direction of suspected civilians , without any apparent threat to his life or that of another person, in violation of international rules on the use of firearms by armed forces. Amnesty International was able to identify and analyze bullets and casings photographed in Labé (Labé region), where soldiers were deployed, according to several testimonies and videos. Analysis shows that these are 7.62x39mm ammunition, the caliber of which corresponds to AK / PMAK type weapons. Videos filmed in recent days and months show that these weapons are frequently carried by members of the Guinean defense and security forces, which the authorities have always denied.
On October 21, the Ministry of Security announced the deaths of nine people, including two police officers. The Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG, opposition), announced on October 23 that 27 people had been shot dead.
