Dozens of people killed during a football match.
The news, whose contours are still uncertain, is incredible. It happens to N’Zerekorethe second city of Guinea Cronakrya large African country overlooking the Atlantic. Medical and hospital sources speak: to the French news agency AFP they describe absurd scenes of mass violence following an referee’s decision contested by the fans.
A doctor says that “there are around 100 dead“, with bodies filling the local hospital and morgue. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital. Others are lying on the floor in the corridors. The morgue is full”, declared the doctor. Videos circulating on social media show scenes of chaos in the streets adjacent to the stadium and numerous bodies lying on the ground.
“It all started for one decision contested by the referee. Then the fans invaded the pitch,” said a witness. Local media reported that the match was part of a tournament organized in honor of the leader of the Guinean junta, Mamadi Doumbouyawho seized power in a coup in September 2021 and was installed as president.
“Political” tournaments of this type have become common in Guinea in recent weeks as Doumbouya eyes a possible presidential election run and tensions over political alliances are high. N’Zerekore has a population of around 200,000 people: it is located in a rural area in south-eastern Guinea, around 570 kilometers from the capital Conakry but much closer to the border with Liberia.
