Foreign

ECOWAS Mobilises Observers Ahead of Guinea Poll

By Web News 377

By Sandra Chukwugekwu (Abuja)

The Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, EOM, to Guinea, Mr Abdoulie Janneh, has intensified preparations for the December 28, 2025 presidential election with a high-level briefing for election observers and meetings with the country’s electoral authorities.

The briefing session, held in Conakry, brought together 133 short-term election observers deployed by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to monitor the conduct of the polls nationwide.

Addressing the observers, Mr Janneh stressed the need for professionalism, neutrality, and strict adherence to ECOWAS democratic norms throughout the observation exercise.

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He noted that the credibility of the electoral process depends largely on the integrity and objectivity of observers.

“ECOWAS remains committed to supporting peaceful, transparent and inclusive elections in Guinea,” Mr Janneh said.

The session attracted senior ECOWAS officials, including the Deputy Head of the EOM, Senator Lawan Gana Guba; the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah; the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea, Ambassador Louis Blaise Aka Brou; and the Director of Cabinet to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Abdou Kolley.

Representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ECOWAS Member States also attended the briefing.

Later in the day, the ECOWAS EOM delegation paid a courtesy visit to the General Directorate of Elections, DGE, to assess preparations for the polls.

The Director General of Elections, Mrs Djenabou Touré Camara, assured the mission that all logistical and technical arrangements were on course.

“Everything will be fully ready by December 28, the day of the election,” Mrs Camara assured the delegation.

ECOWAS continues to play a leading role in election observation across West Africa as part of its mandate to promote democracy, good governance, and regional stability.

Edited by Maxwell Oyekunle

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Foreign

Guinea Ex-Defence Minister Bags Jail Term over Corruption

By Web News 356

A court in Guinea has sentenced a former highly influential defence minister to five years in prison for corruption, illicit enrichment, embezzlement and money laundering.

Mohamed Diane served as defence minister between 2015 and 2021 under President Alpha Condé, before the army seized power.

He was also ordered to pay a $58.5m (£46m) fine, and his bank accounts and property in the capital Conakry and the eastern city of Kankan will also be confiscated by the state.

The judge said the assets were to be seized as their origin could not be justified.

Diane has been in detention since May 2022 when the military junta launched a campaign against corruption in the country.

After taking power, the junta made fighting corruption one of its key priorities in the impoverished West African state and established an anti-corruption court.

BBC/Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

Explosion at Oil Terminal Kills Eight in Conakry, Guinea

By Web News 335

A huge explosion at the main oil refinery in Guinea’s capital Conakry has killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, officials say.

The explosion blew out the windows of nearby houses in downtown Conakry, and hundreds of residents fled the area, eyewitnesses said.

The authorities have ordered schools in the city to close and urged workers to stay at home.

The explosion was caused by a fire. It is unclear what started the blaze.

“Eight charred bodies were brought to the morgue of the Ignace Deen hospital,” a senior official at the facility told AFP news agency.

Media reports of the number of people injured vary from 84 to 100.

The fire broke out at around midnight local time and was still raging hours later.

The blaze and billowing black smoke could be seen miles away, Reuters news agency reports.

Government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual Diallo told the BBC that he could not confirm casualty figures because “we still haven’t finished counting the number of victims”.

A crisis unit has been set up under the prime minister to deal with the fire, and its aftermath, Mr Diallo said.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Officer Bags 10 years Imprisonment for Murdering Protester

By Web News 397

A security officer in Guinea has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of a 19-year-old.

Moriba Camara shot dead Thierno Mamadou Diallo during opposition coalition protests last June.

The prosecution had sought a longer sentence of 25 years in jail for Camara, and the victim’s brother reportedly said the court’s lesser sentence of 10 years was too light for such a crime.

Since 2021 Guinea has been governed by military leaders, who pushed out ex-President Alpha Condé in a coup.

In August last year the junta banned the influential FNDC opposition coalition which had led earlier protests against Mr Condé and also against the new military rulers.

BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Judiciary

Court Apprehends 5 over Protest Death in Guinea

By Web News 517

Judicial authorities in Guinea have charged five members of the security forces after a young man was killed during a demonstration, a high-profile case that challenges the country’s ruling junta.

A Chief Warrant Officer named Moriba Camara was charged with murder and held in custody, while four were charged with dereliction of duty for failing to prevent a suspected crime, prosecutor Alphonse Charles Wright said in a statement late Monday.

The charges came after Thierno Mamadou Diallo, 19, was shot dead on June 1 on the sidelines of a spontaneous demonstration in Conakry against rising fuel prices.

After seizing power last September, the military vowed to break with the practices of former president Alpha Conde.

Dozens of Guineans were shot dead in anti-Conde protests between 2019 and 2021.

The security forces had the reputation of enjoying impunity, the circumstances of these killings were often murky and investigations or charges were rare.

Wright has vowed to shed light on Diallo’s death. Last week he confirmed an account by relatives who said the young man had been in a shop when he was hit by a bullet.

ChannelsTV / Titilayo Kupoliyi