A reporter in Guinea was shot dead on Friday, February 5, 2016 while covering a stand-off between two factions of a political party.
El Hadj Mohamed Diallo, reporter for the news website Guinée7, died instantly when he was hit in the chest by a bullet at the headquarters of the Union des forces democratiques de Guinee (UFDG) party.
The row broke out when the Vice President of the opposition UFDG decided to attend a party meeting accompanied by his supporters, despite his suspension by the party leadership the previous day.
Mr. Bah Oury attempted to force open the door to the party office, which was resisted by the supporters of the party president, Cellou Dalein Diallo, resulting in a violent confrontation between the two factions. It was in the midst of this melee that the reporter was shot dead. It is not known where the bullet was shot from and whether the victim was targeted.
The MFWA condemns political violence in all its forms, and is shocked at the recourse to violence by high ranking officials of such a respected political party. We call on the authorities in Guinea to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.