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At least 95 killed in ethnic clashes in Guinea

Clashes began in Nzerekore in the so-called Forest region on July 15, when members of the Guerze ethnic group beat to death a young Koniake man
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

PRETORIA, July 25 (Itar-Tass) - At least 95 people have been killed and several hundred others have been wounded in inter-ethnic clashes in Guinea.

An official communique circulated late night says the riots erupting in the hard-of-access southeastern region of the country were partly due to a large flow of arms in the region.

It is believed that former rebels from Liberia as well as fighters trained under a former Guinean junta leader were involved. Liberian gunmen left out of work were selling weapons to local residents to get money for food.

Clashes began in Nzerekore in the so-called Forest region on July 15, when members of the Guerze ethnic group beat to death a young man from the Koniake ethnic group after accusing him of stealing from a gas station.

The killed were being buried in a hurry in common graves, so it is difficult to give the exact number of the dead.