A soccer match in south-east Guinea ended in disaster when 56 people lost their lives in a tragic crush (the incident happened just yesterday at a tournament final honoring Mamady Doumbouya)
The trouble started in the games 82nd minute when a refʼs red-card decision made fans angry: some started throwing rocks which caused panic and chaos. “The police used tear-gas and people started running - I saw folks fall down with kids and girls getting stepped on it was terrible“ local fan Amara Conde told reporters
Former leader Alpha Conde pointed out problems with the events set-up; his statement noted that poor planning mixed with current political issues made this tragedy worse. Many young people got caught in the rush to escape‚ a city worker (who wanted to stay unnamed) said that parents had to come find their childrenʼs bodies before officials could count them
The tournament itself raised questions about its purpose:
- Opposition groups say it was meant to support Doumbouya
- It breaks rules about political events during transition
- The military govt hasnt kept its promise to hold new elections
- Human rights groups point to increased control over critics
Videos showed people climbing high walls to get away; while African soccer officials have been working with FIFA to fix stadium safety issues - this event shows theres still work to do. The govt says theyll look into what happened but hasnt responded to claims about the tournaments political goals