Police building in Guinea’s bauxite mining town of Boke was burnt on Thursday by rioters following a clash with security forces, according to local Red Cross officials.
Reuters reported that the incident left 17 people injured. Government officials however prevented bloodshed by refusing to use live bullets on demonstrators in the Boke neighbourhood of Kolabounyi.
The rioting youths of Boke have been agitating over what they call lack of jobs and constant pollution due to the mining of bauxite in the area.
They also complain about lack of water and electricity and demand better development.
15 million tonnes of aluminium ore is produced in Boke for mining companies including Societe Miniere de Boke (SMB) and Companie Bauxite de Guinee (CBG).
Demonstrators have disrupted the operations of these companies for weeks now.
The government spokesman Damantang Albert Camara said in a statement that “The Government strongly condemns these acts which are clearly outside law.”
Source: Africafeeds.com
