Kankan mayor implements new security and sanitation measures

The Mayor of Kankan, Lamine Labo Kourouma, has introduced new security and sanitation regulations for the commune. Under the new rules, heads of households are required to immediately notify neighborhood chiefs when hosting individuals from other localities. It is now formally prohibited to house a stranger without prior notification to local authorities.

Regarding public health, the municipality has issued warnings against discharging wastewater or toilet waste into gutters and digging open septic pits. Additionally, vendors occupying the areas surrounding the Kankancoura market have been ordered to vacate the storefronts and move inside the market premises.

These measures follow the August 18 assassination of a man whose decapitated body was found in the Salamani district. Local officials cited the need for security due to the presence of foreign workers from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire near local gold-mining zones. While some residents support the crackdown on insecurity, others have criticized the rules as overly severe, with civil society leaders expressing concern that the regulations may criminalize traditional Guinean hospitality.