On March 22, 2020, Guineans voted in legislative elections and a constitutional referendum that paved the way for incumbent President Alpha Condé to run for a third term. The election day was marred by violence in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, and towns in the country’s interior, as those who opposed the proposed constitution – who had boycotted the poll – clashed with pro-government supporters and members of the security forces.

The violence was at its worst in Nzérékoré, a city in Guinea’s southeastern Forest region, where the controversial polls ignited longstanding intercommunal and ethnic tensions. Clashes between pro-government and opposition supporters at polling stations on election day were followed by violence across the city between March 22 and 24, leaving at least 32 people dead, including 3 children, 90 injured, and dozens of homes, shops and churches destroyed or damaged. Human Rights Watch also documented one rape case, of a 17-year-old girl.

This report, based on interviews with 48 victims of and witnesses to the violence, as well as 31 relatives of victims, medical staff, journalists, lawyers, academics, opposition party members, civil society representatives, and other key informants, provides first-hand accounts of the violence in Nzérékoré, and examines how the Guinean authorities and security forces responded to it. It also documents human rights violations committed by Guinean security forces, including unlawful killings, inhuman detention conditions, illegal detention, and excessive use of force.

Report by the Human Rights Watch