CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — At least 56 people, including children, have died after fans at a soccer game in Guinea allegedly clashed over a disputed call by the referee, authorities said Monday.
The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at the stadium in the city of Nzerekore during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honor of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya.
“During the stampede, victims were recorded,” Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on the X platform, without giving details. The regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area, he added.
Local media reports said security forces had tried to use tear gas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty call.
“This (the disputed penalty call) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” Media Guinea, a local news website, reported. It said several of those killed were children while some of the injured being treated at a regional hospital are in critical condition.
Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed fans in a section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing before clashes broke out as people poured onto the field. People were running as they tried to escape from the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence.
Videos also showed many people lying on the floor in what looked like a hospital as a crowd gathered nearby, some assisting the wounded.
Authorities are conducting an investigation to establish those responsible for the stampede on Sunday, Bah said in a statement that was read on national television.
The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition said the tournament was organized to drum up support for the “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions of Doumbouya.
Guinea has been led by the military since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule.
Doumbouya, who ousted the president three years ago, said he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised.
In this grab taken from video provided by Nimba Sports Zaly, a man holds a chair on top of his head in a stampede, during a soccer match at the Stade de Nzérékoré, in Nzérékoré, Guinea on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Nimba Sports Zaly via AP)
WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — The candidate for Namibia's ruling party led Monday in early results of a presidential election characterized by technical problems which caused voting to be extended for three days.
The opposition has rejected the results and claimed the extension was illegal, undermining the vote in a southern African country that has a largely smooth history of elections and is praised as one of the region's more stable democracies. Final results are expected this week, with opposition parties saying they will challenge the validity of the election in court.
The problems in last Wednesday's election, which included a shortage of ballot papers and other issues, led election authorities to allow some polling stations to stay open until Saturday.
The issues threaten to overshadow any result, with Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party a strong contender to become Namibia's first female leader.
The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah, a former member of Namibia's underground independence movement, had around 56% of the vote in the partial results published Monday. Only 220,000 of the approximately 1.4 million votes cast have been counted. Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change opposition party is second with 27% of the vote.
Namibians voted for president and for the makeup of Parliament in a large but sparsely populated country on the southwest coast of Africa that has swathes of desert running through it. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
While Nandi-Ndaitwah offers a chance at history, SWAPO has faced frustration from Namibians struggling with a high unemployment rate and other economic hardships, especially among young people. Government corruption scandals have tarnished its reputation as the country's liberator.
The Independent Patriots for Change said it expected to file a legal challenge against the election this week. Other opposition parties said they will join the case.
"It is about our country, it’s about our democratic credentials, it’s about the country that must work for everybody, the poor and the rich. It cannot only work for those who want to remain in power by hook or (by) crook,” said McHenry Venaani, the leader of the opposition Popular Democratic Movement and a candidate in the presidential election.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia which organized the election said there will not be a rerun despite opposition demands.
Other ruling parties in southern Africa have faced a mood of discontent this year.
In neighboring South Africa, the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, lost its 30-year majority and had to form a coalition to stay in government and keep hold of the presidency. The Botswana Democratic Party was stunningly swept from power in that country after governing for 58 years since independence from Britain.
In Mauritius, the incumbent party also lost in a landslide, while Mozambique's Frelimo party was accused of rigging an October election, sparking large and ongoing protests against its long rule.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Namibians queue to cast their votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibians inside a polling station votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibians queue to cast their votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibians queue to cast their votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
A woman sits as Namibians queue to cast their votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibians queue to cast their votes in presidential elections in Windhoek, Namibia, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibians queue to cast their votes in presidential elections in Windhoek, Namibia, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)
Namibia's vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, of the ruling South West Africa People's Organization, (SWAPO) waves as she casts her vote in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Esther Mbathera)
