23 December 2008
A military officer appeared on television in Guinea on Tuesday soon after news of the death of President Lansana Conté to announce that a "National Council for Democracy" was taking over the government, news agencies report.
The Associated Press reported from the capital, Conakry, that the unidentified officer said the government, the courts and the parliament had been dissolved.
Conté, who himself came to power in a coup after the death of Guinea's founding president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, had been in power since 1984. He was 74.
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."
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 allAfrica.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
How to fill the power vacuum in Guinea Conte had been inactive for sometimes now, the prime minister, the secretary general and the leader of the general assembly that wish to stay remain in power now that they deemed it constitutional, are the same people that have carry on this mess for a long time. For the few past years, these are people that have been running the country without any regards to the needs of the people. They all favor the way Guinea has been ruled since they didnt have to be accountable to anyone, Checks and balances do not apply to these politicians so letting them continue in name of peaceful transfer of power will not do Guinea any good. They may arrange some kind of election in the distance future but will make sure they win at any cost. The military on the other hand cant be trusted to take power in a way they wish now since the Guinean army is one of the most unprofessional, corrupt army that have killed many civilians during peaceful riots in Guinea and are highly divided along ethnic lines.
The west (The US, France and others) has failed guinea as they have let Conte carried on this madness for years without really doing anything about it. Guinea is blessed with huge deposit of rich minerals but it remains one of the poorest countries in world, while the masses continue to suffer, (three basic meals a day is luxury for the privileged few) Western companies are doing very well in Guinea. Government contracts are not negotiated in a way to benefit the country and the little funds that were generated, went to Conte, his friends and other high-ranking members of his government that wish to stay the course. As western interests were highly protected under the Conte regime, it doesnt seem they would care much if Contes people continue.
ECOWAS, AU, and UN need to step in now, hold a summit with all stake Guinean holders in, negotiate an inclusive transition that includes everyone or most Guinean tribes, set dates of free and fair elections and make sure elections are really carried on free and fairly. While its important to have peaceful transfer of power in , politicians and the military vetting for power now dont represent the interests of the Guinean people so the international community needs to step in now and if the UN or West doesnt want to move in quickly, AU and ECOWAS need not wait. They helped negotiate the conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone so if they are willing, they can resolve the power vacuum in Guinea peacefully in the interest of the masses.
How to fill the power vacuum in Guinea Conte had been inactive for sometimes now, the prime minister, the secretary general and the leader of the general assembly that wish to stay remain in power now that they deemed it constitutional, are the same people that have carry on this mess for a long time. For the few past years, these are people that have been running the country without any regards to the needs of the people. They all favor the way Guinea has been ruled since they didnt have to be accountable to anyone, Checks and balances do not apply to these politicians so letting them continue in name of peaceful transfer of power will not do Guinea any good. They may arrange some kind of election in the distance future but will make sure they win at any cost. The military on the other hand cant be trusted to take power in a way they wish now since the Guinean army is one of the most unprofessional, corrupt army that have killed many civilians during peaceful riots in Guinea and are highly divided along ethnic lines.
The west (The US, France and others) has failed guinea as they have let Conte carried on this madness for years without really doing anything about it. Guinea is blessed with huge deposit of rich minerals but it remains one of the poorest countries in world, while the masses continue to suffer, (three basic meals a day is luxury for the privileged few) Western companies are doing very well in Guinea. Government contracts are not negotiated in a way to benefit the country and the little funds that were generated, went to Conte, his friends and other high-ranking members of his government that wish to stay the course. As western interests were highly protected under the Conte regime, it doesnt seem they would care much if Contes people continue.
ECOWAS, AU, and UN need to step in now, hold a summit with all stake Guinean holders in, negotiate an inclusive transition that includes everyone or most Guinean tribes, set dates of free and fair elections and make sure elections are really carried on free and fairly. While its important to have peaceful transfer of power in , politicians and the military vetting for power now dont represent the interests of the Guinean people so the international community needs to step in now and if the UN or West doesnt want to move in quickly, AU and ECOWAS need not wait. They helped negotiate the conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone so if they are willing, they can resolve the power vacuum in Guinea peacefully in the interest of the masses.
無料出会い系http://www.ryanmcginn.com/ サイト-Google版-
Active Discussions: Coup Bid After Death of Lansana Conté