Guinea: Conté Dies, Aged 74

23 December 2008
allAfrica.com

Guinea's President Lansana Conté died Tuesday at age 74. He had been in power since 1984.

Reuters reports that the National Assembly president, Aboubacar Sompare, announced Conté's death in a state television broadcast. He was  accompanied during the announcement by Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare and military commander Diarra Camara.

Conté ruled with the backing of the military, which has been accused of extra-judicial killings, rape and torture.  During a long and bloody general strike in February 2007, he declared a state of emergency and ordered soldiers to act as civilian police.

Veronique Aubert, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa program, wrote in a report condemning the military action that "the Guinean security forces are a permanent threat to the people of Guinea."

There is no clear choice for who will replace Conté. According to Reuters, the constitution calls for elections within 60 days.

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