December 2, 2024

At least 56 people have been killed after violent clashes during a football match led to a stampede in Guinea’s second-largest city of N’Zerekore, according to the government. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes” at Sunday’s match, the government statement said on Monday, published as a news ticker on national television. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56.” The violence broke out during a match on Sunday afternoon in N’Zerekore, home to 200,000 people, where rival fans stormed the field following a controversial referee decision, news site Guineenews reported. Earlier, health officials quoted by the AFP news agency put the death toll in the dozens. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital,” said the doctor. “Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full.” Guinea’s Prime Minister Bah Oury condemned the violence and urged calm in a statement posted on X on Sunday. He said the government would issue a release once it gathered all the information. Police station ablaze The clashes began after supporters of the visiting team, Labe, hurled stones at the pitch in anger over a referee call, prompting the police to deploy tear gas, according to local news site Mediaguinee. Later, angry demonstrators also vandalised and set fire to the N’Zerekore police station, Guineenews reported. “It all started with a contested decision by the referee. Then fans invaded the pitch,” a witness told AFP. According to Mediaguinee, the match was part of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president. Such tournaments have become common in the West African nation as Doumbouya eyes a potential run in the presidential election likely next year. Guinea’s National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy (ANAD), a coalition of opposition parties, blasted the tournament, calling it an attempt to advance Doumbouya’s “illegal and inappropriate candidacy”. Doumbouya seized power by force in September 2021, overthrowing the government of President Alpha Conde, who had placed the then-colonel in charge of an elite force tasked with protecting the head of state from such coups. Under international pressure, Doumbouya pledged to hand power back to a civilian government by the end of 2024 but has since made clear he will not. The military leader “exceptionally” promoted himself to the rank of lieutenant general in January and last month elevated himself to the rank of army general. Doumbouya has presided over an ongoing crackdown on dissent, with many opposition leaders detained, brought before the courts or forced into exile. A “transitional charter” drawn up by the military rulers shortly after the coup said no member of the military could stand in either national or local elections. But Doumbouya’s backers have recently expressed their support for his candidacy in the presidential election. At the end of September, authorities indicated that elections intended to restore constitutional order would be held in 2025. Doumbouya is one of several officers who have seized power in West Africa since 2020, along with military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/2/dozens-feared-dead-after-stampede-breaks-out-at-guinea-football-match

Jirga participants will “speak to elders to reopen roads and sign peace agreement,” says official The warring tribes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district has finally agreed on a ceasefire deal, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed on Sunday as the death toll in deadly clashes reached 130. “Armed tribesmen were removed from the firing posts while police and forces have been deployed [in the region],” the DC said in a statement without divulging details. The latest spell of violence, which continued for the 11th consecutive day, has claimed at least 130 lives and injured 186 others as six more individuals lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries in the overnight firing. The recent episode of clashes began eight days ago with ambushes on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Since then, violence between the warring clans has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control. The Kurram region is facing a communication blackout, with mobile and internet services suspended and educational institutions closed. The closure of the main highway has not only disrupted local transportation but also caused a complete suspension of trade with Afghanistan, particularly at the Kharlachi border. A 10-day truce was brokered earlier this week, but intermittent violence has rendered it ineffective. In the statement issued today, the deputy commissioner said that the jirga participants would “speak to elders to reopen roads and sign a peace agreement.” Furthermore, the official said, Kohat Division elders and parliamentarians would visit Kurram district to ensure a peace agreement between the warring tribes. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recorded 79 deaths in the region between July and October this year, highlighting the persistent instability. Previous efforts to mediate peace, including a seven-day truce brokered by provincial officials in November, have failed to hold. A high-powered delegation, including KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, had also negotiated a ceasefire last weekend, but violence resumed shortly afterwards. “Demolish their dugouts” A day earlier, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur emphasised the need for establishing peace in the area and ordered authorities to demolish dugouts of rival tribes and seize their weapons. The provincial chief executive issued the directives during a grand jirga, organised in Kohat district, which was attended by elders of the rival tribes. He also directed the authorities concerned to take measures for the “immediate resettlement” of homeless victims in Kurram. “People’s loss of life and property should be compensated immediately,” he added. Furthermore, he said, the weapons in the possession of the rival tribes should be immediately seized. “The administration will keep those weapons in its custody until peace is restored,” he added. The chief minister also called for action, including arrest and registration of cases, against those spreading hatred on social media. He also urged the parties to announce a ceasefire and implement previous peace agreements immediately. “Peace cannot be restored without the cooperation of the citizens,” he concluded.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1257087-peace-deal-reached-between-warring-kurram-tribes-says-dc-as-death-toll-hits-130

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/2/live-israeli-forces-kill-10-palestinians-in-north-gaza-four-in-west-bank