There were no official celebrations on September 5th, 2023 in Guinea to mark the second anniversary of the coup against former President Alpha Condé and the rise to power of Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya. In addition, all protests were banned. However, on this significant date, “Forces Vives de Guinée” (FVG), a diverse coalition of political parties and civil society groups, chose to organize a demonstration, marking their comeback after a break of over three months.
The Forces Vives de Guinée, at the forefront of opposition to the junta, faced limited success with their previous calls for protests in May 2023. However, this time, the movement opposing the transition government managed to rally support in the dissenting neighborhoods along Prince Road. Reports of clashes emerged on the morning of September 5th in Bambeto, where young demonstrators pelted security forces with stones.
Starting from the previous evening, youth took to the streets to protest at various locations along the northern Conakry expressway, particularly in Wanindara and Sonfonia. In these areas, residents reported the tragic deaths of two teenagers.
In a statement released this morning, the Forces Vives (FVG) confirmed these two fatalities and revealed that around ten individuals had been wounded by gunfire. The FVG accused security forces, armed with lethal weapons, of launching assaults on these neighborhoods along Prince Road. As of now, there is no official casualty count from the authorities.
In the southern part of the capital, at the Tannerie roundabout where the official FVG demonstration was scheduled to commence, no activists were visible on Tuesday morning. Instead, the area was heavily patrolled by police and gendarme vehicles. Along the main road, journalists noted the presence of military personnel within the law enforcement deployment.
Guinea is currently under the governance of the National Rally for Development (CNRD) committee following the military coup led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, which toppled President Alpha Condé on September 5th, 2021. This event is one in a series of coups that have unfolded across West Africa since 2020.