allAfrica.com: Guinea: Country Faces Stability Threat After Sacking of Premier (Page 1 of 2)

With contradicting reports coming from the Guinean capital, Conakry, it is difficult to tell whether the soldiers who abducted and held the army's second in command for several hours last Friday, were protesting against the sacking of former Prime Minister, Lansana Kouyaté on May 20, or over their salary arrears.

Whatever the case, the officers at the Alpha Yahya Diallo camp, the capital Conakry's main barracks, also staged a protest this week, firing heavily into the air.

Gen Mamadou Sampil, the army's deputy chief-of-staff was quickly dispatched to "negotiate" with the soldiers.

Soon similar scenes were replaying in other provinces, including Kindia in the southeast, where one of Guinea's biggest garrisons is located.

Reports indicated that three civilians were killed and several people injured in the protests.

Initial reports said the soldiers were protesting over unpaid salaries and poor living conditions - yet again - in the resource-rich West African nation.

This time, however, thanks the sacking of the prime minister less than a week earlier, there was suspicion that the soldiers were protesting against his dismissal.

However, the government attributed the protests to salary arrears in what seemed like an attempt to downplay the seriousness of the crisis and, more importantly, to dismiss the idea that the soldiers' protests were in any way related to politics.

However, what is obvious from these latest developments is that Guinea's stability is once again seriously threatened.

On the surface, things seemed to have been going well, until the ailing 74-year-old president, Lansana Conté, sacked Prime Minister Kouyaté on May 20 without giving any official reason.

Mr Kouyaté was appointed to the post in March last year after a serious social and political crisis.

It is worth noting that Kouyaté was not the president's choice, as he was more or less forced to appoint the man by the people.

Weary of deteriorating living conditions and fed up with Mr Conté's corrupt and authoritative regime, which has seen the (potentially) richest nation in West Africa remain backward in terms of economic development, they were eager to have a non-partisan prime minister.

Not dry

Guinea is endowed with diamonds, bauxite, iron, gold and uranium, among other minerals, and unlike many of its neighbours, the country is not dry.

It is located in a temperate and rainy area that's suitable for forestry and agriculture.

This paradox - lack of basic infrastructure despite the huge mineral potential - last year led to violent scenes in the country, which also proved to be the most serious threat to Mr Conté's regime in more than two decades in power.

But Mr Conté, a shrewd former military officer, was able to ride out the storm and remain in power. He was said to be sick and dying at the time, but he turned out to be tough and still in control.

Following tough negotiations between the government and trade-unions - after almost two months of violent street protests - he yielded to the people's demands and appointed a "neutral" prime minister.

The protesters wanted a person who was not beholden to the president, and who was willing to focus on the country's many economic and social problems with a view to improving them.

The unions' insistence that the appointee be "neutral" was mainly because President Conté had appointed many prime ministers before, but had given them no room to make the simplest decision or implement any policy without his personal approval.

In 2007, the social situation was somewhat different, and for the first time in 24 years, enthusiastic Guineans started seeing that political change was possible.

Indeed, in January and February 2007 - a year before the wave of food riots hit a number of West African countries - Guinea had had its share of "food riots", with workers and the public, all demanding "affordable" food and better management of the country's wealth.

Following a general strike called in mid January 2007 by the trade unions, the youths took to the streets.

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