Security officials among the dead after last week’s controversial elections, state television reported, as the country remains tense.
Nearly two dozen people were killed in violence that broke out after a controversial presidential election in Guinea last week, state television reported on Monday as international envoys tried to ease tension in the West African nation.
State news broadcaster RTG said 21 people have been killed since October 19, including security officers – six fewer than the opposition figures that said 27 people have died.
82-year-old President Alpha Conde won a hotly contested election on October 18, according to official results announced on Saturday, setting the stage for a controversial third term.
His main opponent Cellou Dalein Diallo (68) disputes the results. He claimed victory last week, citing data his supporters had collected at individual polling stations.
Diallo’s self-proclaimed victory sparked a week of clashes between his supporters and security forces across the country.
The government had previously estimated the number of people killed at 10.
Much of the turmoil revolves around the possibility of a third term for Conde, who opponents accuse of migrating into authoritarianism.
He enforced a new constitution in March, arguing it would modernize the country. But it also allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents.
A diplomatic delegation from the United Nations, the African Union and the 15-strong economic community of West African countries landed in Guinea on Sunday after the unrest.
The envoys, which include the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, and the UN Special Envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, met several ministers and government officials on Monday.
An ECOWAS official in Conakry said they had also spoken to representatives of the Guinean Electoral Commission and foreign diplomats.
Diallo told the AFP news agency that the envoys had also met at his house in Conakry, which the police had been blocking for days.
Anti-Conde protests were due to resume in the city early Monday and many shops remained closed, but few people took to the streets in the end.
“In my neighborhood, people say they are waiting for the outcome of the joint mission,” said a local resident who refused to be named.
Unrest scars were visible in the Conakry neighborhood of Wanindara – an opposition stronghold – with burned-out vehicles on the side of the road.
Mohamed Saliou Camara, whose house was set on fire, said Conde and Diallo supporters had clashed in the area.
Opposition claim at least 27 were killed in the violence [John Wessels/AFP]
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