By Politico staff writer
One person was reported to have died and others injured in the Guinean capital Conakry in clashes between protesters and the Police last Thursday, following a call by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) to protest against the decision by the military-led Transitional Government to stay in power until 2025.
the protesters, mostly youths, on Thursday last week placed roadblocks on the streets and threw stones at the Police who responded with teargas in the mostly Hamdallaye suburban area of the city. Other parts of Conakry were relatively calm, though there was little activity.
FNDC and other civil society organisations have voiced their opposition to the timeline given by the junta and wanted the date brought forward. Similar views are being shared by leaders of other political groups who also urged their supporters to join the demonstration.
FNDC has confirmed that one person was killed by gunshot, but the government was yet to comment on the death.
ECOWAS Chair Umaro Sissoco Embalo who is also President of Guinea Bissau explained to visiting French President Emmanuel Macron that he and regional leaders had told the junta that they should not stay in power beyond twenty-four months and that they reached an agreement over the issue.
However a Spokesman and Minister in the transitional government, Ousmane Diallo reportedly told news outlets that the leadership of the transition government could not confirm such a timeline.
Three FNDC leaders were in early July detained sparking the first protests against the junta but were later released after they were found not guilty of contempt of court.
In May, the junta banned protests, but FNDC still criticised the way the transition process was conducted, saying it was authoritarian and had also expressed what the group said was an infringement on the rights and freedom of the people.
Colonel Mamady Doumbouya together with other soldiers toppled the government of civilian President Alpha Conde in September last year.
The coup was roundly condemned by AU, ECOWAS, and the UN.
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