Heavy gunfire erupts near central prison in Guinea's capital

Heavy bursts of what witnesses described as automatic gunfire rang out near Guinea's central prison in the capital, Conakry, on Tuesday.

According to residents, the shooting began shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time and lasted for more than 30 minutes, with rapid gunfire reverberating through the area. Several residents said traffic ground to a halt as people fled on foot.

Authorities did not immediately comment, and it remained unclear who was responsible for the shooting or what triggered it.

A group of special forces soldiers allegedly intervened in an attempt to extract Commander Toumba Diakite from custody, according to media reports. 

The incident comes just weeks after Guinea held elections on December 28, in which President Mamady Doumbouya secured a landslide victory. Doumbouya first seized power in a military coup in September 2021.

As calm returned to parts of Kaloum, central Conakry, by late morning, uncertainty lingered over the cause of the shooting and whether it marked an isolated incident or a deeper breach of state security.

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi