Guinea security forces ‘neutralise’ armed group in gunfight

Guinean security forces neutralised an armed group in the capital, they said, which had “subversive intentions threatening national security”, according to an official statement, a day before the country holds elections.

The West African country’s Presidential election is set to take place on Sunday (December 28, 2025) with nine candidates participating, including junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya.

Early on Saturday “based on reliable intelligence, security services conducted a targeted operation in a compound in the suburbs of Conakry where an armed group was present,” according to the statement from the Operational Command Post for Internal Security, a joint unit composed of police, soldiers and customs officers.

“This operation allowed for the complete neutralisation of the group and the arrest of the individuals involved after several exchanges of gunfire,” the statement said, without providing further details or mentioning the election.

Residents told AFP that gunfire erupted on Friday night and early Saturday in Sonfonia, a neighbourhood located about 15 km (9 miles) from downtown Conakry.

They said the fire took place near a mosque that was still under construction and at least one house, leaving bullet marks on the walls of the two buildings, and “traces of blood” in the vicinity.

Since its 1958 independence, Guinea has had a complex history of military and authoritarian rule. Guinea is rich in minerals, but more than half of its inhabitants live below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures for 2024.

Sunday’s election is intended to conclude a four-year transition period since the military seized power in September 2021.

Doumbouya has cracked down on civil liberties, and the junta has banned protests since 2022. Many opponents have been arrested, put on trial or driven to exile.