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In Guinea, Wave of Protests Leaves at Least 11 Dead

A protester in Conakry, Guinea, on Tuesday. Thousands have turned out for demonstrations, and security forces have responded with tear gas and tanks.Credit...Cellou Binani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

DAKAR, Senegal — A wave of unrest in the West African nation of Guinea has left at least 11 people dead as protesters have poured into the streets nearly every day over several weeks to demand raises for teachers and the results of long-awaited municipal elections.

Thousands have turned out for demonstrations in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, and other major cities, and security forces have responded with tear gas and tanks. Violence has broken out at several rallies, and several journalists and news media outlets have been attacked.

The 11 victims include a police officer, Amnesty International said. Some people died of gunshot wounds, according to local news media reports, and the police officer was killed after being hit in the head with a rock.

Despite being a major exporter of iron ore, Guinea remains among the poorest nations in the world. It was one of a handful of West African countries hit in 2014 by the Ebola virus, which killed more than 2,500 people there. The economy has been crippled by poor governing and corruption.

Violent protests rocked the nation in 2009, when soldiers shot and killed dozens of unarmed demonstrators at the main stadium in Conakry, where tens of thousands of people had assembled for a demonstration. Human rights groups said that more than 150 people were killed, and that women were raped by soldiers.

This year, nationwide demonstrations by teachers seeking better pay had closed schools for five weeks. On Wednesday, the teachers suspended their protests after getting government assurances that their salaries would be increased.

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Unrest in Conakry this week. The teachers’ union suspended its demonstrations on Wednesday, although other protests continued.Credit...Cellou Binani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Millimouno Fara Boka, a teachers’ union member, said the sheer volume of protesters — mothers and students had joined in the demonstrations — had proved persuasive to the government.

“I have never seen protests like these before,” he said.

Mariama Magasouba, 38, a mother of four, said she had joined in the demonstrations because she was tired of seeing her children sitting at home. Schools reopened on Wednesday, though many teachers and students did not return to class immediately, fearful because of the other protests still going on.

Most of those rallies are led by opposition parties demanding results from municipal council elections held last month. President Alpha Condé’s party is claiming victory, but the official winners have not been announced, and opposition party members say they suspect fraud.

In February, the country held its first municipal council elections since the end of military rule in 2010. The elections had been scheduled to take place eight years ago, but they were repeatedly postponed because of political infighting and a lack of money. People appointed by the president have occupied most municipal council seats until now.

When he first took office in 2010, Mr. Condé promised to strengthen democracy and fight corruption. But he and his son have been implicated in corruption scandals, accused of election irregularities and criticized for cracking down on press freedom. Several journalists have been arrested and some media operations have been suspended.

This week, government supporters attacked a building in Conakry housing two radio stations and a television station, and they vandalized cars surrounding the building. On the same day, another group of demonstrators set fire to a vehicle being used by journalists traveling in the Conakry suburbs.

In a statement, Amnesty International condemned the attacks. “It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that the media can exercise freely and without fear of attacks or threats,” the group said.

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