Washington, DC, United States - Ahead of the commemoration of the second anniversary of the tragic 2009 pro-democracy demonstration in Conakry Stadium, the US has called for peaceful commemorative activities in the West African nation.

In a statement issued here by the US State Department and obtained by PANA Wednesday, the US said commemorative activities must be carried peacefully, 'as violence undermines rule of law and threatens Guinea’s nascent democracy'.

During the demonstration in September 2009, 157 people were killed, and more than 1,000 injured when members of Guinea’s Presidential Guard opened fire on unarmed peaceful demonstrators and also brutally raped hundreds of women.

'The Guinean people have worked long and hard to bring about democracy; and with legislative elections set for December 29, 2011, now is not the time to lose democratic progress that took 50 years to achieve.

'The United States encourages all political players in Guinea to engage in dialogue and act responsibly in order to reconcile differences. We urge Guinean security forces to refrain from using excessive force to control demonstrations,' the US said.

The appeal came a day after clashes between opposition supporters and security agencies left at least two dead in the capital, Conakry..

Tuesday's demonstration was called to protest what the opposition called the unilateral revision of the voters’ register by the government and the absence of consultation for the drafting of the electoral agenda to end the country’s transition to democracy.

Pana 28/09/2011