The city of Kankan, Guinea's second largest city after Conakry, has just experienced a major turning point in the current political climate. While the referendum campaign for the September 21, 2025, election was in full swing, local authorities decided to suspend all public demonstrations.

For several days, Kankan has hosted a series of political mobilizations marked by the visits of several high-ranking figures—ministers, directors, and political figures—who came to express their support for the draft new Constitution. These leaders called on citizens to vote "yes" in the referendum, while encouraging the population to collect their voter registration cards.

But in an official statement published last Monday, the president of the Special Delegation of the urban commune of Kankan, Arafamoussa Koulibaly, announced the formal ban on any gatherings within the commune.

"On the instructions of the Minister, Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, the President of the Special Delegation of the Urban Commune of Kankan informs the entire population of Kankan of the formal ban on any gathering in the urban commune of Kankan, from September 10, 2025, and until further notice," the official statement reads. Arafamoussa Koulibaly specifies that anyone violating this decision is liable to severe sanctions.

The move comes amid a tense political climate, with supporters of the proposed new constitution trying to mobilize the grassroots, while critical voices are rising against the process.

It remains to be seen how this ban will be perceived and enforced in the coming days, as the referendum date fast approaches.