African NGOs Request Investigation into Mass Grave Found in Guinea

A group of 20 African civil society organizations has called for an independent investigation into the discovery of six unidentified bodies in a mass grave in Guinea. The bodies were found bound and blindfolded in the village of Alassoya, located in Lower Guinea’s Forecariah administrative prefecture, on August 24, 2026. Local men gathering firewood discovered the bodies, and Guinea’s Armed Forces have confirmed the finding. The NGOs, which include the Afrikajom Centre and several branches of the Tournons La Page (TLP), are urging that all hypotheses be examined as part of an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation. They also requested that national and international forensic experts assist in formally identifying the victims. The organizations noted that this discovery follows at least 35 cases of enforced disappearances documented by TLP-Guinea since September 5, 2021, and expressed concerns that the victims may have been subjected to extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. Guinea’s Armed Forces have stated that an inquiry will be conducted, and the six bodies have been transported to the hospital in Forecariah for identification and to determine the circumstances of their deaths. The military has assured that all measures are being taken to clarify the situation, and the results of the investigation will be made public. This discovery occurs amid a crackdown on dissent in Guinea following General Mamady Doumbouya’s coup in 2021, during which several political parties have been suspended, protests suppressed, and numerous opposition and civil society leaders have faced arrest or exile. France has also called for a transparent and independent investigation into the mass grave, as reported by Africanews, which noted that another mass grave was found in the same region last year, with investigations still ongoing regarding the identities of the victims and the causes of death.