Ethnic clashes flare in Guinea, president asks for calm
AFP & Reuters, Saturday 2 Mar 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls for calm in the West African nation of Guinea, where political violence has left about 130 people wounded including 68 police


UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Friday for calm in the West African nation of Guinea, where political violence has left about 130 people wounded.

"The Secretary-General is concerned about reports of ongoing violent clashes in Guinea, which started in Conakry on Thursday," said a statement released by a UN spokesman.

"The Secretary-General calls for calm and urges Guineans to refrain from all acts likely to undermine the ongoing peaceful and democratic process in the country," the statement went on to say.

"He urges all political actors to pursue the path of dialogue in order to address outstanding issues related to the electoral process and create the conditions for the holding of peaceful and democratic legislative elections."

Violence broke out during a Guinean opposition demonstration in Conakry Wednesday.

Thousands had gathered for the latest in a string of demonstrations to demand transparency in elections scheduled for May 12 and protest against the South African company selected to revise the electoral roll.

The vote in the troubled West African country was due to have taken place in 2011 and has been postponed several times already.

Guinean President Alpha Conde appealed for calm on Friday after rival ethnic gangs fought with knives and truncheons in the capital in a third day of violence over an upcoming election in the volatile West African nation.

Security forces in full anti-riot gear took to the streets of the crumbling seaside capital Conakry to try to stem violence in which at least 65 people were injured, according to a statement from the presidency.

"All sides must avoid provocation, personal vengeance and taking justice into their own hands," Conde said in a televised address to the nation.

"I ask religious leaders, security forces, elected officials and political leaders to call for calm."

The unrest began with an opposition protest on Wednesday in which some 130 people were injured.

A long-delayed legislative vote, tentatively set for May, is meant to complete a transition to civilian rule after a 2008 military coup, and could open the door to hundreds of millions of dollars in European aid.

But preparations for the poll have been hampered by opposition claims the government is seeking to rig the outcome in advance, leading to a political impasse and sparking sporadic street protests that often turn violent.

Residents of Conakry fled in panic as the gangs from rival ethnic groups roamed the streets. Shops and business were looted in many parts of the city.

"It has become very bad. People set fire to a car right in front of me. I've seen four people injured in the fighting," said Souleymane Bah, a resident of Bambeto, one of several areas where clashes were reported.



ETHNIC TENSIONS

Politics in Guinea, the world's top supplier of bauxite, the raw material in aluminium, are mainly drawn along ethnic lines. The opposition coalition is broadly supported by members of the Peul ethnicity - the country's biggest ethnic group - and the government by the Malinke.

The fighting on Friday follows two days of anti-government protests that have sharpened those divisions. One civilian was killed in those protests and scores of protesters and police were injured.

The United States Embassy in Guinea issued a statement late on Thursday expressing concern about the violence and calling for restraint. "The United States continues to urge the Republic of Guinea to work with all parties to ensure that peaceful and transparent elections take place," it said.

Conde's government said on Friday it called on citizens to remain calm, and that it would hold talks with representatives of the country's political parties next week.

Conde narrowly won a 2010 presidential election - billed as the former French colony's first free poll since 1958 independence - promising to unite Guinea in the same way Nelson Mandela did after apartheid in South Africa. But many of his compatriots say he has failed.

Opposition leader and former premier Sidya Toure said opposition supporters were defending themselves.

"The situation has clearly degenerated into inter-ethnic violence between the Peuls and Malinkes. We've already called for calm, but what can you tell someone who is being attacked with a club?" he said.

Conde has promised prosperity for the former French colony's 10 million people.

Guinea's economy produces only about $1.50 per person per day despite a wealth of natural resources, including the world's largest untapped iron ore deposit.

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