At least one person has been killed and many more have been injured in ethnic clashes in the Guinean capital Conakry.

Clashes between members of the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Peul (Fula) and the Malinke (Mandinka), broke out in a market on Friday.

The body of a Peul youth was brought to a morgue, and Red Cross workers said he was killed by a bullet wound.

Youths from the two groups started throwing stones at each other in the Madina market (Marché Madina) in the morning and then the riot grew, spreading to other parts of Conakry by afternoon.


“They are throwing everything they get their hands on,” army officer Ibrahima Keita said.

Anti-riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Madina market, which is one of the largest markets in West Africa, is divided along ethnic lines, with the Malinke selling auto parts next to the highway and the Peul running small boutiques.

Guinea has about 24 ethnic groups. The Peul comprise 40 percent of the population and the Malinke comprise 30 percent.

Clashes between the two groups have intensified since the 2010 presidential election, which was won by Malinke politician Alpha Condé.
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Press TV