Guinea restricts social media access as junta chief Mamady Doumbouya takes election lead

Guinea has restricted access to social media platforms TikTok, YouTube and Facebook as the country awaits the final results from Sunday's presidential election.

Internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks reported that access to the popular sites, via key providers Orange and MTN, had been disrupted.

Initial results published late on Monday show that junta chief Gen Mamady Doumbouya, who took power in a coup for years ago, has taken a huge lead in the presidential race, AFP news agency reports. The main opposition leaders were barred from contesting the poll.

There has been no official comment on the restrictions, but critics see it as an attempt by the junta to stifle criticism of the results.

The 41-year-old general won more than 80% of the vote in numerous districts in capital city Conakry, according to official partial results read out on television by Djenabou Toure, head of the General Directorate of Elections, AFP reports.