Guinea’s main opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo on Saturday said he was shocked the international community had not condemned what he called the government’s “savage repression”, after days of lethal post-election violence in the country.

Speaking from his home in the capital Conakry — where police have barricaded him inside — Diallo told AFP that international statements amounted to “rather timid communiques”.

West Africa’s Guinea has been racked by unrest since the October 18 poll with tensions sparked by President Alpha Conde’s controversial bid for a third term.

The 82-year-old president won 59.49 percent of the vote, the country’s electoral authority said on Saturday, although the opposition disputes the result.

In a move that triggered nationwide clashes, Diallo declared himself victorious on Monday — before the announcement of official results.

Some 10 people died in the ensuing unrest, the government said, but the opposition put the figure at 27. AFP was unable to independently confirm the deaths.

“I am shocked to see also that this savage repression is not denounced and condemned by the international community,” said Diallo, 68.

Conde pushed through a constitutional referendum in March that allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents.

Opposition to that outcome brought tens of thousands of Guineans on to the streets from October 2019. Security forces cracked down, however, killing dozens of protesters.

The bitter election campaign leading up to this month’s poll also raised fears of ethnic violence, with Conde accused of driving a wedge between communities for electoral ends — a charge he denies.

Guinea’s politics are mainly drawn along ethnic lines: the president’s base is among the ethnic Malinke community while Diallo has strong backing among the Fulani people.

Diallo on Saturday alluded to “ethnic incitement” against Fulani as well as people from the same part of the country as him.

“Their shops are burned, sometimes vandalised,” he said. “We are in this situation of unprecedented state terrorism,” he said.

Diallo and his supporters also accuse Conde of rigging the election, which the government insists was fair.

“They went so far as to double the participation in the strongholds of Alpha Conde to be able to increase his scores,” the opponent said.

He said he would appeal to Guinea’s constitutional court, adding, however, that he held out little chance of success.

AFP was unable to reach the government for comment.

Monitors from the African Union and the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States — of which Guinea is a member — had earlier said the election was mostly fair.

Conde became Guinea’s first democratically-elected leader in 2010, and was re-elected in 2015.

Rights groups accuse him of drifting into authoritarianism.

aba/eml/har