Guinea’s government says it will seek out anyone inciting ethnic violence after at least seven people were killed in post-election clashes.
“We are going to create a commission to identify anyone inciting ethnic hatred and violence,” the Minister of National Unity and Citizenship told Reuters on Monday.
The violence is linked to opposition allegations of fraud in the vote and fears that President Alpha Conde may seek to modify the constitution and run for a third term in 2020. Conde has declined to comment on his intentions.
Since his election in 2010, Conde has struggled to fulfill his promise of reducing tensions between the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Malinke and Peul.
The Malinke backs Conde’s ruling party and account for 35 percent of the population. Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo is mainly supported by Peul herders, who make up 40 percent of the population.
Much of the unrest satrted after Diallo denounced “massive fraud” in the vote. Conde’s party has denied the accusations.
“The ethnic character behind some of these clashes is forcing us to call for calm and restraint,” government spokesman Damantang Albert Camara said.
The unrest coincides with other long-running disputes. Many Guineans are frustrated that profits from the country’s rich bauxite reserves have not helped local communities address constant power cuts, unemployment and low public sector salaries.
Frustrations led to riots near some of the country’s largest bauxite mines last year, interrupting production and resulting in several deaths.
