Anti-government riots flare in Guinea after seven reported dead

Another 32 people were wounded by gunshots

Guinea was hit by further anti-government protests on Thursday after organisers said at least seven people had been killed and 32 injured during demonstrations in the capital Conakry and other towns a day earlier.

Police in riot gear fired tear gas at protestors who threw rocks and burnt tyres in Conakry on Thursday, the latest in a series of protests against the military government that seized power in 2021 and has been slow to hand power back to civilians.

At least seven people were shot dead and 32 others suffered gunshot wounds after similar clashes on Wednesday, opposition parties and civil society groups said in a joint statement.

They added that 56 arrests had been reported and said a second day of peaceful demonstrations would go ahead as planned.

Conakry residents said they heard gunfire during the night and that a child had been hit in the stomach by a stray bullet.

The government has not responded to the allegations. The police did not respond to a request for comment.

There have been several protests in Guinea since the junta took power, some of which have turned deadly following clashes with heavy-handed security forces.

The country's military government is one of several in West Africa that took power in a string of coups since 2020 and are now dragging their feet on election promises.

Authorities in Guinea proposed a two-year transition to democracy last October, down from a three-year timeline earlier rejected by the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS.