Soldiers on patrol in Conakry, where tensions remain high after at least 160 people were killed in September during a political rally.
Sources suggest the weapons were bought in Ukraine by the defence minister, Sékouba Konaté, during a recent private visit, and their arrival was supervised by a specially hired group of South African security advisers.
The South African newspaper Beeld alleges that as many as 50 mercenaries could be in Guinea working for the government and the president, Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camarra, who seized power after a coup last December.
The atmosphere in Conakry is increasingly tense. Last week a city-wide strike was called. Most shops and banks closed to mark one month since the violent suppression of an anti-government rally at the national football stadium. Local human rights workers believe scores were killed when government soldiers, led by members of the presidential guard, opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators at a stadium on 28 September.
Dozens of women were raped in a co-ordinated attack by the military, which prompted international outrage. A series of sanctions followed, including a freeze on assets and travel bans against the leaders of the junta.
Dadis disputes the number of dead, blaming rogue military elements for the violence, which he claims was provoked by the opposition. But he now appears to be an isolated figure, cancelling his weekly television appearances and refusing requests for media interviews. This may in part be due to a recent intimate profile by the French television channel France 24, in which Dadis was filmed in his pyjamas in the presidential bed. He shows the reporter his preferred bedtime reading, a book entitled The Power of Positive Thinking. French media have since been ejected from the country.
Dadis is now rarely seen on the streets. Sources in the military say he is becoming fearful of a counter-coup from within his own military. He is not alone. The chief of presidential security, Claude Pivi, who is believed to have personally supervised the September attack, now drives through town escorted by no fewer than seven battle wagons with anti-aircraft guns strapped to the back.
In the 50 years since it won independence from France, Guinea has never known a freely elected government. Analysts say the main fear of the junta is not unrest among the public, but a split within the military. To shore up support, Dadis has begun recruiting militia units from among his own Forestier ethnic group in the east of the country. He has promoted fellow Forestiers to senior positions in preference to those from other tribes.
The international political pressure is also testing nerves. Dadis has pledged to allow a team of UN investigators into the country, saying those responsible for the September massacre will face punishment. Some officers are said to fear that they will be made scapegoats.
"The army is deeply divided," said Corinne Dufka, of Human Rights Watch. "Members of other tribal groupings within the military feel marginalised and many soldiers have personally told me they are horrified by the massacre, which they say was the work of a small minority."
Members of the opposition coalition meanwhile continue to face the threat of arrest and violent assault. While leaders of the Forces Vives have agreed to participate in West African-led negotiations with the military junta, many still operate either from abroad or in hiding.
Britain, the US and France, as well as west African nations, are calling on Dadis to stand down. Presidential elections are due to be held in January. Dadis has so far refused to honour his pledge not to run.
The fear is that further conflict in Guinea could again spill over into neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have only recently emerged from years of violent conflict. There are unconfirmed reports of former Liberian combatants joining Dadis's militias.
Mouctar Diallo, one of the leading opposition leaders, called on the foreign powers to rescue the country from Dadis. "We are asking the international community to help us to dismantle his ethnic militias," he said. "The people of Guinea are in danger. We have the right and a duty to demand a humanitarian intervention."
Showing posts with label Guinea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guinea. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
DTN News: Guinea's Military Junta Imports Arms Despite Embargo
DTN News: Guinea's Military Junta Imports Arms Despite Embargo
• Sanctions were imposed after stadium massacre
• President fearful of fresh coup, say military sources
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) CONAKRY, Guinea - November 4, 2009: Guinea's military junta has imported millions of dollars worth of weapons in recent weeks, despite international sanctions imposed on the country after members of the presidential guard massacred at least 160 people at an opposition rally in September.
Light arms worth $45m (£27m) were flown into the country on 23 October in defiance of the embargo, according to local and diplomatic sources in the capital, Conakry.
Soldiers on patrol in Conakry, where tensions remain high after at least 160 people were killed in September during a political rally.
Sources suggest the weapons were bought in Ukraine by the defence minister, Sékouba Konaté, during a recent private visit, and their arrival was supervised by a specially hired group of South African security advisers.
The South African newspaper Beeld alleges that as many as 50 mercenaries could be in Guinea working for the government and the president, Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camarra, who seized power after a coup last December.
The atmosphere in Conakry is increasingly tense. Last week a city-wide strike was called. Most shops and banks closed to mark one month since the violent suppression of an anti-government rally at the national football stadium. Local human rights workers believe scores were killed when government soldiers, led by members of the presidential guard, opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators at a stadium on 28 September.
Dozens of women were raped in a co-ordinated attack by the military, which prompted international outrage. A series of sanctions followed, including a freeze on assets and travel bans against the leaders of the junta.
Dadis disputes the number of dead, blaming rogue military elements for the violence, which he claims was provoked by the opposition. But he now appears to be an isolated figure, cancelling his weekly television appearances and refusing requests for media interviews. This may in part be due to a recent intimate profile by the French television channel France 24, in which Dadis was filmed in his pyjamas in the presidential bed. He shows the reporter his preferred bedtime reading, a book entitled The Power of Positive Thinking. French media have since been ejected from the country.
Dadis is now rarely seen on the streets. Sources in the military say he is becoming fearful of a counter-coup from within his own military. He is not alone. The chief of presidential security, Claude Pivi, who is believed to have personally supervised the September attack, now drives through town escorted by no fewer than seven battle wagons with anti-aircraft guns strapped to the back.
In the 50 years since it won independence from France, Guinea has never known a freely elected government. Analysts say the main fear of the junta is not unrest among the public, but a split within the military. To shore up support, Dadis has begun recruiting militia units from among his own Forestier ethnic group in the east of the country. He has promoted fellow Forestiers to senior positions in preference to those from other tribes.
The international political pressure is also testing nerves. Dadis has pledged to allow a team of UN investigators into the country, saying those responsible for the September massacre will face punishment. Some officers are said to fear that they will be made scapegoats.
"The army is deeply divided," said Corinne Dufka, of Human Rights Watch. "Members of other tribal groupings within the military feel marginalised and many soldiers have personally told me they are horrified by the massacre, which they say was the work of a small minority."
Members of the opposition coalition meanwhile continue to face the threat of arrest and violent assault. While leaders of the Forces Vives have agreed to participate in West African-led negotiations with the military junta, many still operate either from abroad or in hiding.
Britain, the US and France, as well as west African nations, are calling on Dadis to stand down. Presidential elections are due to be held in January. Dadis has so far refused to honour his pledge not to run.
The fear is that further conflict in Guinea could again spill over into neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have only recently emerged from years of violent conflict. There are unconfirmed reports of former Liberian combatants joining Dadis's militias.
Mouctar Diallo, one of the leading opposition leaders, called on the foreign powers to rescue the country from Dadis. "We are asking the international community to help us to dismantle his ethnic militias," he said. "The people of Guinea are in danger. We have the right and a duty to demand a humanitarian intervention."
Soldiers on patrol in Conakry, where tensions remain high after at least 160 people were killed in September during a political rally.
Sources suggest the weapons were bought in Ukraine by the defence minister, Sékouba Konaté, during a recent private visit, and their arrival was supervised by a specially hired group of South African security advisers.
The South African newspaper Beeld alleges that as many as 50 mercenaries could be in Guinea working for the government and the president, Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camarra, who seized power after a coup last December.
The atmosphere in Conakry is increasingly tense. Last week a city-wide strike was called. Most shops and banks closed to mark one month since the violent suppression of an anti-government rally at the national football stadium. Local human rights workers believe scores were killed when government soldiers, led by members of the presidential guard, opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators at a stadium on 28 September.
Dozens of women were raped in a co-ordinated attack by the military, which prompted international outrage. A series of sanctions followed, including a freeze on assets and travel bans against the leaders of the junta.
Dadis disputes the number of dead, blaming rogue military elements for the violence, which he claims was provoked by the opposition. But he now appears to be an isolated figure, cancelling his weekly television appearances and refusing requests for media interviews. This may in part be due to a recent intimate profile by the French television channel France 24, in which Dadis was filmed in his pyjamas in the presidential bed. He shows the reporter his preferred bedtime reading, a book entitled The Power of Positive Thinking. French media have since been ejected from the country.
Dadis is now rarely seen on the streets. Sources in the military say he is becoming fearful of a counter-coup from within his own military. He is not alone. The chief of presidential security, Claude Pivi, who is believed to have personally supervised the September attack, now drives through town escorted by no fewer than seven battle wagons with anti-aircraft guns strapped to the back.
In the 50 years since it won independence from France, Guinea has never known a freely elected government. Analysts say the main fear of the junta is not unrest among the public, but a split within the military. To shore up support, Dadis has begun recruiting militia units from among his own Forestier ethnic group in the east of the country. He has promoted fellow Forestiers to senior positions in preference to those from other tribes.
The international political pressure is also testing nerves. Dadis has pledged to allow a team of UN investigators into the country, saying those responsible for the September massacre will face punishment. Some officers are said to fear that they will be made scapegoats.
"The army is deeply divided," said Corinne Dufka, of Human Rights Watch. "Members of other tribal groupings within the military feel marginalised and many soldiers have personally told me they are horrified by the massacre, which they say was the work of a small minority."
Members of the opposition coalition meanwhile continue to face the threat of arrest and violent assault. While leaders of the Forces Vives have agreed to participate in West African-led negotiations with the military junta, many still operate either from abroad or in hiding.
Britain, the US and France, as well as west African nations, are calling on Dadis to stand down. Presidential elections are due to be held in January. Dadis has so far refused to honour his pledge not to run.
The fear is that further conflict in Guinea could again spill over into neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have only recently emerged from years of violent conflict. There are unconfirmed reports of former Liberian combatants joining Dadis's militias.
Mouctar Diallo, one of the leading opposition leaders, called on the foreign powers to rescue the country from Dadis. "We are asking the international community to help us to dismantle his ethnic militias," he said. "The people of Guinea are in danger. We have the right and a duty to demand a humanitarian intervention."
Thursday, October 01, 2009
DTN News: Guinea TODAY October 1, 2009 ~ Fresh Violence In Guinea After Stadium Bloodbath
DTN News: Guinea TODAY October 1, 2009 ~ Fresh Violence In Guinea After Stadium Bloodbath
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) CONAKRY, Guinea - October 1, 2009: Guinea troops carried out new attacks Tuesday after they killed at least 157 people, wounded more than 1,000, and raped women in a crackdown on an opposition rally the previous day, rights activists said.
Guinean police arrest a protester on September 28, 2009 in front of the biggest stadium in the capital Conakry during a protest banned by Guinea's ruling junta. Opposition political parties, labor unions and civil society groups reacted by swiftly agreeing to proceed with the rally to protest against junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara Camara running in a presidential election. The protest was dispersed with tear gas. Speaking on national television on September 27, Interior Minister Frederic Kolie declared that 'all demonstrations on national territory are prohibited until the national holiday on October 2.'
The country's military ruler said he was sorry for the violence, but a human rights group alleged junta soldiers killed three more people outside the capital Conakry Tuesday and kidnapped victims of the crackdown from hospitals.
"Today we recorded three more deaths from army shootings, two in Wanidara and one in Cosa," both neighbourhoods outside Conakry, said Thierno Maadjou Sow, an official with the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights.
"The young people went outside and the soldiers shot at them."
Sow also alleged that soldiers removed wounded people from hospitals and took them to unknown locations.
"Soldiers went to take away the injured being treated at the Donka hospital (in the capital) to bring them to an unknown destination as well as women who had been raped and were being treated at the local health centre in Ratoma (outside the capital)," he said.
The United Nations, African Union and European Union all expressed alarm over the killings when tens of thousands of people Monday attended a stadium rally against junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara, who took power in December last year. Key facts about Guinea
Camara on Tuesday made his first appearance in public since the crackdown, visiting two hospitals in Conakry to meet with the wounded, witnesses said.
"It's unfortunate, it's dramatic," Camara told French radio station RFI. "Very frankly speaking, I'm very sorry, very sorry."
The opposition has accused junta forces of collecting bodies in a bid to hide "the scale of the massacre" which the Guinea rights group said left at least 157 dead and 1,253 wounded. .
Sydia Toure, one of two former prime ministers injured at the protest, told AFP that the shootings were "a deliberate attempt" to eliminate the opposition.
Mamadi Kaba, head of the Guinean branch of the African Encounter for the Defence of Human Rights (RADDHO), said the rapes of women began in the Conakry stadium.
"The military raped women" at the stadium and later at army barracks, police posts and other parts of Conakry, Kaba said, adding that there were reports of new rape attacks by soldiers on Tuesday. Opposition activist Mouctar Diallo said he saw soldiers putting their rifles into the vaginas of naked women. "I saw this myself," he told RFI. "They were raping women publicly," Diallo added. "Soldiers were shooting everywhere and I saw people fall."
Red Cross source said military commanders ordered all bodies at the stadium taken to the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, the junta headquarters, rather than to morgues.
A source at Conakry's Ignace Deen hospital told AFP an army truck took away "dozens of bodies" after the violent clampdown on the banned demonstration.
Witnesses and rights group said the military was massively deployed throughout the capital on Tuesday and more violent actions by soldiers were reported. "The bad behaviour continues in the suburbs, carried out by the military. Even if there's nobody on the street, they shoot in the air, loot shops and beat people up," Kaba said.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon slammed the "excessive use of force" and said he was "shocked by the loss of life, the high number of people injured and the destruction of property."
The African Union said it "strongly condemns the indiscriminate firing on unarmed civilians, which left dozens dead and many others injured, while serious other violations of human rights were committed."
In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana deplored the "high number of victims" and called for the immediate release of arrested opposition leaders. EU reaction.
Former colonial ruler France condemned "the violent repression," suspended military cooperation with Guinea and urged caution on expatriates, while a senior US official in Washington said: "We're deeply concerned about the general breakdown in security in Conakry." France's reaction.
The protesters had gathered in the stadium to oppose any bid by the junta leader to run for president in an election due in January. Camara also faces strong international pressure to step down.
Camara took over the west African nation after leading a bloodless coup within hours of the death of Guinea's strongman leader Lansana Conte, who had ruled the west African country since 1984.
Guinean police arrest a protester on September 28, 2009 in front of the biggest stadium in the capital Conakry during a protest banned by Guinea's ruling junta. Opposition political parties, labor unions and civil society groups reacted by swiftly agreeing to proceed with the rally to protest against junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara Camara running in a presidential election. The protest was dispersed with tear gas. Speaking on national television on September 27, Interior Minister Frederic Kolie declared that 'all demonstrations on national territory are prohibited until the national holiday on October 2.'
The country's military ruler said he was sorry for the violence, but a human rights group alleged junta soldiers killed three more people outside the capital Conakry Tuesday and kidnapped victims of the crackdown from hospitals.
"Today we recorded three more deaths from army shootings, two in Wanidara and one in Cosa," both neighbourhoods outside Conakry, said Thierno Maadjou Sow, an official with the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights.
"The young people went outside and the soldiers shot at them."
Sow also alleged that soldiers removed wounded people from hospitals and took them to unknown locations.
"Soldiers went to take away the injured being treated at the Donka hospital (in the capital) to bring them to an unknown destination as well as women who had been raped and were being treated at the local health centre in Ratoma (outside the capital)," he said.
The United Nations, African Union and European Union all expressed alarm over the killings when tens of thousands of people Monday attended a stadium rally against junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara, who took power in December last year. Key facts about Guinea
Camara on Tuesday made his first appearance in public since the crackdown, visiting two hospitals in Conakry to meet with the wounded, witnesses said.
"It's unfortunate, it's dramatic," Camara told French radio station RFI. "Very frankly speaking, I'm very sorry, very sorry."
The opposition has accused junta forces of collecting bodies in a bid to hide "the scale of the massacre" which the Guinea rights group said left at least 157 dead and 1,253 wounded. .
Sydia Toure, one of two former prime ministers injured at the protest, told AFP that the shootings were "a deliberate attempt" to eliminate the opposition.
Mamadi Kaba, head of the Guinean branch of the African Encounter for the Defence of Human Rights (RADDHO), said the rapes of women began in the Conakry stadium.
"The military raped women" at the stadium and later at army barracks, police posts and other parts of Conakry, Kaba said, adding that there were reports of new rape attacks by soldiers on Tuesday. Opposition activist Mouctar Diallo said he saw soldiers putting their rifles into the vaginas of naked women. "I saw this myself," he told RFI. "They were raping women publicly," Diallo added. "Soldiers were shooting everywhere and I saw people fall."
Red Cross source said military commanders ordered all bodies at the stadium taken to the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, the junta headquarters, rather than to morgues.
A source at Conakry's Ignace Deen hospital told AFP an army truck took away "dozens of bodies" after the violent clampdown on the banned demonstration.
Witnesses and rights group said the military was massively deployed throughout the capital on Tuesday and more violent actions by soldiers were reported. "The bad behaviour continues in the suburbs, carried out by the military. Even if there's nobody on the street, they shoot in the air, loot shops and beat people up," Kaba said.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon slammed the "excessive use of force" and said he was "shocked by the loss of life, the high number of people injured and the destruction of property."
The African Union said it "strongly condemns the indiscriminate firing on unarmed civilians, which left dozens dead and many others injured, while serious other violations of human rights were committed."
In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana deplored the "high number of victims" and called for the immediate release of arrested opposition leaders. EU reaction.
Former colonial ruler France condemned "the violent repression," suspended military cooperation with Guinea and urged caution on expatriates, while a senior US official in Washington said: "We're deeply concerned about the general breakdown in security in Conakry." France's reaction.
The protesters had gathered in the stadium to oppose any bid by the junta leader to run for president in an election due in January. Camara also faces strong international pressure to step down.
Camara took over the west African nation after leading a bloodless coup within hours of the death of Guinea's strongman leader Lansana Conte, who had ruled the west African country since 1984.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Guinea Narcostate Revealed In TV Confessions
Guinea Narcostate Revealed In TV Confessions
(NSI News Source Info) CONAKRY, Guinea - March 16, 2009: When the planes arrived loaded with cocaine, it was Guinea's presidential guard that secured the cargo.
Drug deals were conducted inside the first lady's private residence and in the president's VIP salon at the international airport. To avoid detection, cocaine was sent to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch. 
Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, who led the military coup, smokes a cigarette at his headquaters in Conakry, Guinea Conacky, Monday, March 9, 2008. When the planes loaded with cocaine arrived, Guinea's presidential guard secured the cargo. Drug deals were conducted inside the first lady's private residence, and the drugs were carried to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch. In their bid to reach Europe, Latin American drug traffickers have found the broken nations along Africa's West coast, easily corrupting their ruling elite.
As the people of Guinea sit transfixed before their TV sets, top government officials one after another are confessing to their role in a lucrative international cocaine trade. Organized by a military junta that seized power three months ago, the confessions offer unprecedented insight into an exploding drug trade in West Africa, one that connects coca leaves grown in South American fields to cocaine in European discos.
The confessions paint a picture of an illicit trade conducted with total impunity, with the help of officials, members of the president's family and security forces. They also show the large role Guinea and other West African countries are playing as drug hubs, and how vulnerable they are to the corrupting influence of drug dollars.
A recent United Nations report found that at least 46 tons of cocaine have been seized en route to Europe via West Africa since 2005, bringing profits that sometimes exceed the entire defense budgets of countries it passes through. Before that time, less than a ton a year was seized from the entire continent.
"The vast majority of cocaine that is destined for Europe is now going through West Africa," said Michael Braun, who was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's operations chief when he retired in October.
Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, who led the military coup, smokes a cigarette at his headquaters in Conakry, Guinea Conacky, Monday, March 9, 2008. When the planes loaded with cocaine arrived, Guinea's presidential guard secured the cargo. Drug deals were conducted inside the first lady's private residence, and the drugs were carried to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch. In their bid to reach Europe, Latin American drug traffickers have found the broken nations along Africa's West coast, easily corrupting their ruling elite.
As the people of Guinea sit transfixed before their TV sets, top government officials one after another are confessing to their role in a lucrative international cocaine trade. Organized by a military junta that seized power three months ago, the confessions offer unprecedented insight into an exploding drug trade in West Africa, one that connects coca leaves grown in South American fields to cocaine in European discos.
The confessions paint a picture of an illicit trade conducted with total impunity, with the help of officials, members of the president's family and security forces. They also show the large role Guinea and other West African countries are playing as drug hubs, and how vulnerable they are to the corrupting influence of drug dollars.
A recent United Nations report found that at least 46 tons of cocaine have been seized en route to Europe via West Africa since 2005, bringing profits that sometimes exceed the entire defense budgets of countries it passes through. Before that time, less than a ton a year was seized from the entire continent.
"The vast majority of cocaine that is destined for Europe is now going through West Africa," said Michael Braun, who was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's operations chief when he retired in October.
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