Security forces have been stationed in Guinea’s capital Conakry after the military-led authorities banned a planned opposition protest against the ruling junta.
The opposition alliance the Living Forces of Guinea (FVG) called for a demonstration to demand the junta, who seized power in a 2021 coup, hand over rule to a civilian government.
Protests are regularly organised by the opposition and systematically banned by the authorities in the west African country.
They are generally marred by violence that can turn deadly.
Armed men in or near vehicles belonging to the police or security forces were dispersing gatherings and ordering people to return home on Monday.
The Guinean authorities banned the protest late on Sunday, saying they had not been notified.
“I instruct you to take all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of citizens and their property,” Minister of Territorial Administration El Hadji Ibrahima Kalil Conde said in a statement.
Clashes broke out between police and protesters late Sunday in several of the capital’s hotspots, notably in Koloma where a leader of Guinea’s main party, the UFDG, and a number of young people were arrested.
Junta chief General Mamady Doumbouya announced in a New Year’s speech “a crucial electoral year” and the full resumption of political activities from 2025.
But the prospect of a return to civilian rule is not yet in sight and no date has been set.
Under international pressure, the junta initially pledged to hold a constitutional referendum and hand power to elected civilians by the end of 2024, but neither has happened.
The military authorities have been accused of muzzling the press and the “assassination” of more than 60 protesters, according to the FVG.
Since the junta took power, two civil society leaders have disappeared and many opposition figures have been detained, brought before the courts or forced into exile.
