Eight Wounded as Security Forces Open Fire at Violent Protests in Guinean Capital

Security forces in Guinea opened fire on opposition demonstrators in the capital, Conakry on Monday, reportedly shooting at least eight people with live rounds in a bid to put down violent protests over insecurity in the country.

One person was taken away in a police car in a critical condition, according to witnesses who spoke to local media, though this could not be independently confirmed.

The demonstrations were called by opposition leaders last week in protest at security failures blamed on President Alpha Conde's government, following an attack by unknown gunmen on the vehicle of opposition spokesman Aboubacar Sylla.

Law enforcement forces had stood ready since Sunday evening, after being deployed to protect most of the important roads of the capital. During the night, through into the morning, several barricades of burning tires were reported to have been dismantled by security forces. Conakry reportedly came to a halt, with no traffic on the roads.

The protests started in earnest just before 7am in the districts of Hamdallaye, Simbaya, and Wanindara, with demonstrators erecting barricades and burning tires.

According to a doctor who spoke to AFP: "There were violent clashes between young protesters and police in Hamdallaye, where security forces shot three young protesters." The gunfire and protests continued as panicked residents fled to their homes, while the youths were treated for bullet wounds at a nearby hospital. Others were reported to have been shot in the district of Simbaya.

Local media said that the opposition plans to continue protests through till Tuesday.

This is not the first time there have been protests this year. In March, the opposition mounted a parliamentary boycott to protest against the schedule for elections, claiming that Conde was using the Ebola epidemic which has ravaged the country as an excuse to delay the vote.

Conde — the country's first freely elected president — has been accused by opposition figures of human rights abuses.

But the chairman of the parliamentary majority group, Amadou Damaro Camara, claimed that the opposition itself was trying to generate a "climate of instability."

"That is consistent with their desire to bring chaos to all areas," he told AFP.

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