Violence breaks out after Guinea's first democratic election in 50 years

New president Alpha Conde and defeated rival Cellou Dalein Diallo appeal for calm after gunfire and violence in suburban areas
Guinea Conakry elections
A Guinean police officer in the Peul suburb of Bambeto, in Conakry, which is in military lockdown. Photograph: Jerome Delay/AP

Violence erupted in Guinea last night after a closely contested election that had been intended to draw a line under 52 years of authoritarian rule.

Witnesses said at least one person was killed and around 30 could have been injured after clashes on Monday night following the surprise result, which saw the opposition leader, Alpha Conde, win the presidency.

Conde, 72, and his defeated rival, Cellou Dalein Diallo, appealed for calm after all-night celebrations were marred by sporadic gunfire in the streets of the capital, Conakry. Security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators and violence was reported in other areas of the country.

The election was considered to be Guinea's first democratic vote since it won independence in 1958, but the poll was tainted by ethnic tensions pitting Diallo's Peul supporters against Conde's Malinke base.

Residents in the worst-hit suburbs said the area was in military lockdown today, with helmeted security officials manning checkpoints and patrolling the road.

"The [presidential guard] is forcing us to stay inside," Souleymane Bah, a Bambeto resident, said. "There is lots of shooting, and the youth are fighting back by throwing stones."

The UN urged politicians to step in and prevent clashes between rival supporters. Said Djinnit, the leading UN official in west Africa, said: "Everybody has been urging calm and tranquillity, and it has largely worked out so far.

"The leaders must do everything possible to maintain an atmosphere of calm. I see defence forces doing their utmost to exercise restraint, but they don't always succeed."

Gunfire rang out in two neighbourhoods soon after the country's electoral commission declared Conde the run-off winner with 52.5% of the nearly 2.9m votes counted.

Conde – who came from behind after performing badly in the first round of voting – said he wanted to be a president of reconciliation and hinted at a role for Diallo in a future government.

"Time has come to reach out in a spirit of brotherhood to tackle, together and immediately, the numerous challenges the country faces," Conde said on the French RFI radio station. "That will only be possible in a calm atmosphere and with the cooperation of all Guineans."

Prior to the election, Diallo and Conde agreed to include whoever lost in any future government.

Diallo, a 58-year-old former prime minister, said he would mount a challenge in the supreme court but appealed for his supporters to remain calm and disciplined. "We must, at all costs, maintain peace in this country," he told RFI.

Conde was backed in large numbers by members of his ethnic group, the Malinke. His supporters danced in the streets, honked car horns and sped through town on motorbikes, holding up his portrait.

Supporters of Diallo, who polled 47.5%, are overwhelmingly of Peul ethnic origin. They burned tyres and threw rocks at police yesterday in the hours before results were announced, as Conde's victory became apparent.

In the northern town of Labe, a Diallo stronghold, volleys of gunfire continued throughout this morning. Labe's prefect, Safiou Laye Diallo, said one person had been killed by a stray bullet.

Corinne Dufka, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said as many as 30 people may have been wounded in the capital, including many who had suffered bullet injuries. The authorities did not have exact figures.

Yesterday several Malinke homes were attacked by Peul supporters of Diallo, including in the Hamdalaye neighbourhood of the capital, where windows were punched out and a bedroom set on fire.