Nearly two years after a devastating explosion at the Kaloum oil depot, residents of Conakry continue to struggle with the aftermath, as the issue of compensation remains largely unresolved.
The disaster, which occurred on the night of 17–18 December 2023, killed 24 people, injured 454, and damaged nearly 800 buildings.
Despite government assurances, many victims say they have received only minimal assistance.
On 6 May 2024, Prime Minister Bah Oury met with the crisis management committee and announced an aid package: 2.5 million GNF per month for seven months for tenants, 2.5 million GNF per month for 24 months for concessionaires rebuilding destroyed homes, and the creation of a dedicated bank account for compensation.
“All necessary measures have been taken to compensate the victims.
(…) The Prime Minister’s Office has fully taken charge of the situation, so the victims can rest assured,” said Mohamed Lamine Bangoura, chief of staff at the Ministry of Housing.
However, testimonies from the ground paint a starkly different picture. In Coronthie, a neighbourhood particularly affected by the blast, frustration is mounting. Religious leader and concessionaire Elhadj Karamo Kaba spoke of “injustice”:
“We’re approaching two years since the explosion, but so far nothing has been done, apart from a few bags of rice and cans of oil. Compensation has begun, but selectively. Some people are receiving 15 or 30 million, why not us?”
Other residents echo similar grievances. A tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, said she received only 10 bags of rice, a few cans of oil, and 10 million GNF, while Aminata Bangoura from Cité des Fonctionnaires reported going into debt to repair her home, spending over 15 million GNF without sufficient state support.
Yarie Yansané, whose home was destroyed, had to rent out part of her land to rebuild, receiving partial aid for one plot but not the other.
Transparency has also been questioned. Mahmoudou Sifo Ke Touré, president of a local victims’ collective, said:
“Twenty-one months later, we have not received the donations we mobilized, such as bags of cement and metal sheets. There has never been a report. We don’t know who gave what and how much.”
He estimated that only 22 concessionaires recently received 30 million GNF each, representing just 5% of the more than 3,700 households affected.
With official promises of full support and reconstruction still unmet, the majority of Kaloum residents continue to face uncertainty, frustration, and a lack of meaningful aid nearly two years after the disaster. The promised reconstruction remains, for many, a distant hope
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