Guinea Research Paper
Introduction Guinea, or The Republic of Guinea, is a country located in South Africa that possesses major mineral wealth and agricultural resources, making it one of Africa’s potentially richest countries (BBC News, 2010). Yet, the country is still an undeveloped nation allowing for its people being amongst the poorest in West Africa. Flag of Guinea
Background
The area that occupies Guinea today once belonged to various West African civilizations such as the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empires until France colonized it in 1895, becoming part of French West Africa (U.S. Department of State, 2010). On October 2, 1958, Guinea achieved its independence from France, officially becoming a sovereign and independent state under Ahmed Sekou Toure as president. Toure pursued a revolutionary socialist agenda, resulting in Ghana becoming a “. . . one-party dictatorship, with a closed, socialized economy and no tolerance for human rights, free expression, or political opposition . . .” (U.S. Department of State, 2010). During Toure’s 26-year regime, thousands of people disappeared, killed, or tortured until his death in 1984.
General Lasana Conte …show more content…
then seized power in 1984, replacing Guinea’s socialist agenda Toure created with a multiparty democracy and adopted a new constitution (CIA World Factbook). Through “irregularities” in the voting polls, Conte would continue to rule Guinea, being reelected president for his second term in 1998 and again in 2003 for his third. Following President Conte’s death in December of 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power by declaring himself President with an army of soldiers, thus re-establishing a government controlled by the military and the suspending of the Constitution (CIA World Factbook). In response, thousands of protestors gathered in Conakry towards Camara’s unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down from presidency. According to the U.S Department of State-Bureau of African Affairs, this heightened political tension led to Guinean soldiers to open fire towards the protestors, killing at least 157 protestors, wounding more than a 1,000 others, and sexually assaulting more than 100 women. In early December of 2009, Camara was wounded from a failed assassination attempt and evacuated to Morocco for medical treatment. Though his wounds were not fatal but necessary for a prolonged period of rehabilitation, a transitional government has been installed. General Konate has assumed the title of interim President of the Republic.
Government
Until December 23, 2008, Guinea was formerly a constitutional republic whose power was most concentrated on a strong presidency and legislative body (Travel Document System.com). The government is currently controlled by a military junta, General Konate, as the interim president with the assistance of a civilian prime minister. Before Konate took presidency, a military officer, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, seized power of Guinea forcefully. Camara would soon suffer from severe injuries from an assassination attempt that has led to General Konate to currently govern Guinea. Though General Konate has assumed the title of interim President of the Republic, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara remains the official president.
Under the reign of General Konate, the effort of establishing a transitional government has been signaled, along with the appointment of Jean-Marie Dore as Prime Minister (Travel Document System.com). The military junta is represented by the NCDD (National Council for Democracy and Development), in which suspended Guinea’s constitution. There are a total of thirty-four members present within the Prime Minister’s cabinet, in which twenty-four members are civilian ministers and the remaining ten members are military officials appointed by the CNDD (Travel Document System.com). Legislative elections, which were previously scheduled for June 2007, have been constantly delayed but have been expected to be conducted in mid-year 2010.
Geography
Guinea is located on the Atlantic Coast of West Africa, and is bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Guinea is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon in the United States, consisting of coastal plains, mountainous regions, a savanna interior, and forest area in the Guinea Highlands. The country is divided into four geographical regions: a narrow coastal belt (Lower Guinea), the pastoral Fouta Djallon highlands (Middle Guinea), the northern savanna (Upper Guinea), and the southeastern rain forest region (Forrest Guinea) (History Central). Twenty-two West African rivers form their origins in Guinea, such as the Niger, Gambia, and Senegal Rivers among those rivers. Guinea’s coastal regions and the majority of the inland encompass a tropical climate, with relatively high temperatures and humidity (History Central.com). Guinea receives heavy precipitation along its coastal regions, ranging from 60 inches on the savannas to about 170 inches on the coast (How Stuff Works.com). Towards the east, Guinea’s terrain rises to elevations more than 3,500 feet to form the Fouta Djallon plateau. The southeastern region of Guinea feature the heavily forest Guinea Highlands that attain heights of more than 5,700 feet (How Stuff Works.com).
Demographics/Population
According to the CIA World Factbook, Guinea has a population of 10, 057, 975 (July 2009 estimate) people in its country, including refugees and foreign residents. Guinea has four main ethnic groups that occupy the country:
• Peuhl (Foula or Foulani), people who resides in the mountainous Fouta Djallon.
• Malinke (or Mandingo), people located in the savannah and forest regions.
• Soussous, inhabitants in the coastal areas.
• Smaller ethnic groups inhabit in the forest region
Given Guinea’s population, Peuhl’s make up about 40%, Malinke’s total near 30%, Soussous’ near 20%, and the several smaller ethnic groups (Gerzé, Toma, etc.) make up nearly 10%. Seven national languages are widely used in Guinea, mainly due to each ethnic group having their own language, but French is the country’s official language. Other information is listed below (CIA World Factbook):
• Nationality: Noun and adjective, Guinean(s).
• Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, traditional beliefs 7%.
• Major infectious diseases (note- degree of risk is very high): o food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoa diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever o vector borne diseases: malaria and yellow fever o water contact disease: schistosomiasis o animal contact disease: rabies o aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever
Topic: Government brutality/Corruption
Article #1: Clinton calls alleged violence, rapes in Guinea ‘criminality of the greatest degree’
Violence in Guinea committed by its government troops illustrates “criminality of the greatest degree” according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition, she added that the government, controlled by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, should offer a “profound” apology towards the people of Guinea and forgo their power. Clinton’s statements were aimed towards the aftermath that was caused from Camara seizing power of Guinea forcefully with an army of soldiers in December 2008.
A highly devoted supporter of women’s rights, Clinton also addressed the crimes against women in Guinea, in which she was “particularly appalled” at such crime rates. She stated that the U.S. will take “appropriate actions” against the Guinea’s corrupted government, emphasizing “those who committed those acts should not be given any reason to expect that they will escape justice.” http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/06/clinton-calls-alleged-violence-rapes-in-guinea-c... 07.10.2009
Article #2: Rape in Guinea: No Justice, No Peace In the midst of the political demonstration that was suppressed by horror, cellular photos and witnesses reflected women being suitable targets of Guinean soldiers. Victims and witnesses described rapes, beatings, and acts of humiliation being done to women. According to the article, one photo revealed a naked woman lying on a muddy ground with her legs in the air and a military soldier in front of her. Other photos showed soldiers wearing a red beret pulling on the clothes of one terrified looking woman while she was half-sitting on the ground and another nude woman lying on the ground while her trousers were being pulled. These attacks took place on September 28, 2009, where thousands of Guineans gathered to protest the nation’s military junta, who was led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. Prior to the rally, Camara seized power of Guinea in a coup in December 2008 and recently broke the promise to the citizens of Guinea to not run for presidency for the scheduled presidential elections in January 2009. Local human rights organizations estimated at least 157 people were killed compared to the Guinean government putting the death figure at 56.
Due to the shame associated with sexual violence in Guinea, victims were hesitant to speak and doctors refused to comment on rape victims they treated. The fear of retribution is another concern dealt with by victims and witnesses of the attack where some did not provide their names in interviews. Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, an opposition leader who witnessed soldiers raping women and severely beaten as well, stated, “I saw many rapes . . . I saw a woman who was stripped naked. They ripped off, they tore off her clothes. They surrounded her. They made her lie down. They lifted up her feet, and one of the soldiers advanced. They took turns.” Although the severity of this incident is of major concern, antigovernment protestors are familiar with brutal repression tactics in which occurred in Guinea before in 2007 when military forces shot hundreds of citizens demonstrating against Lansana Conte, the president before Camara. Not just Guinea, but the entire continent of Africa utilizes rape as a common form of military oppression. When confronted about the numerous reports of woman being raped by his own elite soldiers, Camara stated, “I wasn’t at the stadium. These are things people have told me”, and blamed opposition figures instead. Though the sexual violence against woman continues to spread fears in Guinea, it citizens are hoping for a rapid change. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/world/africa/06guinea.html?pagewanted=1 Article #3: Guinea leader survives attack
CNN reports that Moussa Dadis Camara, the military leader of the West African nation of Guinea, was shot and wounded while in his presidential convoy when it was surprisingly attacked. The attack, which occurred early December 2009, took place in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and is suspected of being caused from increased international and internal pressure for Camara to step down from presidency and hold elections in January 2010 with him not being a candidate. Camara has given no indication if he will follow through with such orders, giving that he seized power of Guinea in a coupe in December 2008. Moussa Dadis Camara seized power in a bloodless coup in Guinea in December 2008
It’s also known that a demonstration was violently put down in September 2009 that may have also sparked the attack on Camara’s presidential convoy. Military soldiers intentionally fired upon innocent civilians in Conakry’s national stadium according to human rights groups, where at least 157 people were killed and multitudes of women raped. The Amnesty International reports that the military in Guinea continues to investigate opposition in the country through human rights violations. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/12/03/guinea.leader/index.html Article #4: Rein in Soldiers - Armed Robbery, Extortion, and Intimidation Under New Government The Human Rights Watch have discovered numerous reports of Guinean soldiers implementing routine acts of theft and violence against its citizens and businesspeople since the new government rose to power in a military coup in December 2008.
They believe that this new government should put a stop towards such atrocity by carrying out investigations and prosecuting soldiers for wrong-doings. Nearly 19 incidents were collected by the Human Rights Watch from victims and witnesses, describing how these heavily armored soldiers in red berets, and traveling in both civilian and military vehicles with no license plate raided offices, homes, businesses, and medical clinics in broad daylight and at night. Soldiers have stolen quantities of wholesale and retail merchandise, among other items of innocent civilian’s personal
possessions. Witnesses and victims were also able to report that some soldiers appeared to be intoxicated, therefore threatening and assaulting victims. Numerous occasions of extortion by soldiers was also documented by the Human Rights Watch, including the rape of a 15 year old girl by a soldier and intimidation tactics used in judiciary meetings. According to the article, small groups of soldiers interrupted several judicial proceedings and threatened lawyers in the sense to influence particular outcomes of proceedings.
Guinean military soldiers participating in these thefts and other criminal acts refer themselves to the National Council for Democracy and Development (NCDD), who forcefully seized power of Guinea on December 22, 2008 hours after the death of Lansana Conte, who was president for 24 years. In addition to the seize, the coupe’s leader and self acclaimed president of Guinea, Cpt. Moussa Dadis Camara, suspended the country’s constitution and promised Guinean citizens to hold an election in January 2009 in which he never did.
In most cases of theft, Guinean military soldiers announced that they were on an official mission for the CNDD and refused to show victims any identification or documentation justifying their actions (i.e. search warrant, arrest warrant). Since establishing their self-proclaimed power in Guinea, the CNDD have conducted multitudes of investigations against drug traffickers, the production and sale of counterfeit medicines, and corrupted government officials, where the majority of the human rights abuses reported by victims have occurred. The article provides numerous examples of claimed actions, such as soldiers robbing several Chinese-owned businesses and restaurants claiming they were searching for counterfeit machine and suspected of manufacturing and selling false antibiotics. No evidence of any such criminal acts was ever found, nor did Guinean military soldiers attempt to show a search warrant. In addition, the Human Rights Watch also documented statements from business owners that they were momentarily detained in a military vehicle, as soldiers robbed them of money, cellular phones, and other valuables, and then released them.
The Human Rights Watch also documented instances where soldiers robbed Guinean citizens living near homes or businesses suspected of drug trafficking. According to these victims, military soldiers searched and robbed their homes under the suspicion of alleged contraband, in which there was none. Lawsuits of damages for forced entry and armed robbery were filed against Guinean military soldiers for which they said that doors was broken, furniture destroyed, cars were stolen, and even a generator was reported missing. Guinean lawyers told the Human Rights Watch that these soldiers are only using their goal of fighting drug trafficking as an excuse to commit such criminal acts.
Military officials claim that these criminal acts were done by ordinary citizens posing as military soldiers. However, witnesses and victims reported that soldiers dressed in their dull military attire, with bars indicating their military rank on their shirts, committed these criminal acts in broad daylight. Another interesting fact reported by the Human Rights Watch was that businessman, who reported having their cars stolen my soldiers, observed their cars being driven by military soldiers into and exiting military camps in Conakry.
But for Guinean citizens, filing a police report against the abuses committed by military soldiers is hopeless. Guinean law declares that the police and gendarmerie hold the power to investigate crimes, where suspected perpetrators are civilians or members in the military. Since the military coup seized power of Guinea, the military has almost completely taken over police tasks, including criminal investigations. According to the article, “. . . owners of five businesses robbed at around the same time on February 16 filed a police report, but were told by the police that since the coup, they were no longer ‘authorized by the military to conduct investigations.’ ” Officers described how the military prohibit their roles of conducting patrols and investigations in response to the crime wave in Guinea when conversing with the Human Rights Watch. One officer recalled in the article how a suspect, who was detained by authorities for questioning in connection with a burglary, was removed from police custody at the police station and placed into a military vehicle for questioning at a military camp. http://allafrica.com/stories/200904290333.html Article 5: UN Verifies Atrocities: Murder, Rape, Torture
The article reveals the UN’s inquiry of a 59-page report that connects the Junta leader of Guinea responsible for the killings, rapes, and other atrocities against protestors that took place on September 28, 2009, in which many Guineans recall a “massacre” in Conakry, Guinea. The majority of these crimes that occurred were mainly done by Camara’s presidential guards, or Red Berets, in which UN representatives suggest that he and others should be charged with crimes against humanity. The report describes explicit instances of beatings, rapes, and victims barricaded and suffocated in the capital’s national stadium. The report also mentioned that military soldiers confined numerous women and young girls (the number is unknown) for three to five days in military facilities where acts of mass rape occurred. Prior to the UN receiving this report for suspicion of such acts, constant scenes of the September 28 events were caught on cell phone images, eyewitness testimonies, and human rights protestors that shocked the world to individual’s that didn’t pay no attention to the overcrowded country along Africa’s Atlantic coastline. The report was first published in French that included a short summary in English. It then was sent to the UN Security Council, where it would be highly considered amongst UN representatives after it becomes translated in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. According to the article, the report demonstrated to have found “reasonable grounds that the crimes may constitute crimes against humanity”. It specifically stated that it could identify at least 156 who were killed or disappeared during the nightmarish incident on September 28, 2009. In addition, the report also says that “. . . at least 109 women were victims of rape, sexual mutilation and other acts of sexual violence. Hundreds of others were abused and tens of others were arbitrarily arrested, many of them tortured”.
Aboubacar Cherif Diakite, also known as Toumba, is one of many individuals responsible for the abuses committed by military soldiers against Guinean citizens, though he has been out of sight for some time now. He is also responsible for the shooting and wounding of the military junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, where he was one of Camara’s fellow henchmen. Moussa Thegboro Camara, a commander responsible for combating drug trafficking and banditry, is also suspected for being responsible for such acts by the military. When asked questions of the reported behavior by military soldiers, the junta government denied any responsibility and created a Commission of Inquiry in response to the international outcry. The African and European Union has imposed a variety of sanctions on Guinea and its government while further investigation has been started. Among these sanctions include an arms embargo, a travel ban, and freezes on particular assets held outside the country. The United States has also imposed a sanction, prohibiting any means of travel for military leaders. The human rights of Guinean citizens are still demoralized since the UN’s involvement and Dadis Camara seizing power in December 2008 with a military coup. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evelyn-leopold/guinea-un-verifies-mass-a_b_400058.html Article 6: Guinea calls corruption hearings An estimated 14 people was summoned by Guinea’s military government to appear before a commission investigating graft claims. Former prime ministers for sport and finance, and ex-chief of protocol who worked under the late president Lansana Conte are a handful of members who must appear at a court hearing in the capital of Conakry. Failure to attend the hearing can lead to confiscation of the individual’s property, according to the article. Former Finance Minister Ousmane Dore was summoned to court in account for five million dollars which was supposedly dispersed for Guinea’s 50th independence anniversary from France in 2008.
Ex-Sports Minister Baidy Aribot is suspected of inappropriately spending nearly fifteen million dollars in funding for the national football teams participation in the African Cup of Nations that was held in Ghana in 2008. Idrissa Thiam, former state chief of protocol, will be questioned in regards to forty million dollars in funding; though it is believed that he have left the country several months ago.
The 14 individuals are restricted from traveling outside the country until further investigations are complete. Since seizing power of Guinea in 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara tries to attempt his first task of ending corruption in Guinea as President. In addition, President Camara also announced the formation of a military junta government in Guinea where military soldiers will promote finance, defense, security, and justice ministries. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7844674.stm Article 7: Reputation for corruption worsens Officials from the Transparency International (TI) released data indicating that Guinea dropped five spots in 2008 rankings of perceptions of corruption. Official’s claim that Guinea’s increased corruption can lead to city services being threatened, increase drug trafficking, and damage economic growth. Mamadou Taran Diallo, a TI representative, proposed Guinea’s inefficiency to flourish as a country is through it lack of ability to exterminate corruption. Diallo stated, “Guinea’s rank at 173, tied with Chad and Sudan, out of 180 countries is a clear and persistent sign our country is stuck at the bottom.” Mohamed Francois Falcon, executive director of the government-appointed national anti-corruption agency, presumed Guinea’s low rank of corruption is due to the multitude of strikes the country faced in 2007 that destroyed business and halted governance. Demonstrators began a deadly protest against former President Lansana Conte’s decision to release specific individuals arrested for corruption charges and cost of living increases.
As a result, “people chased governors [and other officials] form their posts” Falcon stated. Falcon continued, stating “Guinea’s lower rank is because of the dysfunctional administration [during this period], the weak judiciary, and embezzlement . . .”. Another issue Falcon discusses in the article that also contributes to Guinea’s increasingly corruption rate is the lack will and independence to tackle such an issue. He notes that the executive branch of government, most notably, must be able to work together with anti-corruption agencies to aid the corruption problem in Guinea. The article mentions an increasingly amount of drug traffickers that has been created from the result of Guinea’s lack of ability to fight against corruption. According to the article, these traffickers have taken advantage of Guinea’s insufficient justice system and have the ability to persuade public officials to help transit drugs through Guinea and other West African countries. With the combination of these two devastating factors, residences of Guinea have told reporters that the consequences of corruption have cut off numerous amounts of water supply, halted electricity, and terrible heath care that promotes a service to bribe people. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=80575 Article 8: Guinea drug agents are ‘corrupt’
Guinea’s Police Commissioner Moussa Sackho Camara told BBC News reporters that he believes that some of his own drug agents are “collaborators” of drug traffickers in Guinea. Law enforcement agents in Guinea traces its increasing drug trafficking problems to Latin American drug dealers who have began using countries in West Africa to travel drugs rather than their traditional routes through the Caribbean, which have become more policed.
Upon Camara’s arrival as the new Police Commissioner in August 2008, he longed suspected that some agents in the drug unit were corrupt when they started commuting to work in limousines and had them parked outside his office. Furthermore, Camara’a suspicion of corrupt agents increased when several suspected drug traffickers was freed form detainment without being acknowledged about the matter. Not just corrupt agents contribute to Guinea’s drug trafficking, but poverty, instability, and weak institutions also attracts many West African countries to drug dealer’s expense, according to law enforcement agents. The UN estimates as much as 50 tonnes of cocaine is shipped through Guinea each year, the article reports. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7683696.stm Guinea Compared to the U.S. Corruption in the United States does exist, but not to the extent where it affects infrastructure, the economy, and governance such as Guinea’s corruption issue. More often, police brutality, rather than government brutality that occurs in Guinea, does have a long history associated with the United States. The New York Times published an article introducing the Transparency International’s, or TI, 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index that measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 178 countries in the world (Jolly, David, 2010). The United States is currently ranked 22, thus being knocked out of the top 20 global rankings. Though the U.S. dropped from 19 in 2009 and slipping to 22 this year, it still rest comfortably among the top fifth of the 128 country study.
There are numerous forms of corruption, which may include embezzlement, extortion, graft, bribery, and patronage. Other forms of corruption may facilitate criminal behavior like money laundering, drug trafficking, or human trafficking. Political corruption is most common within the U.S. where government officials use their legislative powers for private gains. One scandal in the form of corruption that is most memorable in the history of the United States is the “Watergate” scandal that involved former President Robert M. Nixon. Nixon, who was a Republican, had several people break into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office in Washington, D.C so he can be re-elected for another term.
In Guinea’s situation, corruption in their government involves political figures, or military personnel, misuse of government powers for purposes of repression or authority over its civilians. Furthermore, corruption in Guinea may also be used in ways that may promote criminal enterprise such as the increasingly amount of drug trafficking that is occurring there.
In terms of the issue in drug trafficking, both the United States and Guinea attract ruthless and aggressive drug traffickers. Both drug law enforcement agencies in each country face a tough task of protecting it country’s borders. In the U.S. drug trafficking dilemma, traffickers from South America smuggle cocaine and heroin into the United States through variety of routes, including land routes through Mexico, maritime routes along the east and west coastal areas of Mexico, sea routes through the Caribbean, and international air corridors (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). Neighboring Mexico drug smugglers also engage in numerous ways to smuggle drugs into the U.S., in which has lasted since the 1970s. Mexico smugglers smuggle cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and marijuana into the United States through the Southwest border, and have expanded its drug transportation to numerous parts in the eastern parts of the country (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004).
Unlike Guinea’s law enforcement agency, the U.S. has made some progress towards the fight against drugs with the assistance of numerous participating countries, its military, and government funding of anti-drug programs. Guinea’s failure in response to their drug trafficking issue can be traced from multiple stipulations. One conflict deals with the high amounts of corruption the country faces within its political and law enforcement sectors that co-operate with drug smugglers ability to transport drugs through West African countries. Other conditions that contribute towards Guinea’s problem of tackling drug trafficking can be associated with its high rates of poverty, instability, and weak institutions that may attract such sophisticated drug smugglers.
YouTube Video
Rape-Tool of Political Repression This video depicts human rights violations that have been ongoing in the history of Guinea. On September 29, 2008, more than 150 Guinean civilians were killed and more than 100 women raped as they protested against Guinea’s military junta. The leader of Guinea’s military junta is Captain Moussa Dadis Camara who seized power of the country in a military coup of December 2008, shortly after the death of former President Lansana Conte. In addition, he also
Background
The area that occupies Guinea today once belonged to various West African civilizations such as the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empires until France colonized it in 1895, becoming part of French West Africa (U.S. Department of State, 2010). On October 2, 1958, Guinea achieved its independence from France, officially becoming a sovereign and independent state under Ahmed Sekou Toure as president. Toure pursued a revolutionary socialist agenda, resulting in Ghana becoming a “. . . one-party dictatorship, with a closed, socialized economy and no tolerance for human rights, free expression, or political opposition . . .” (U.S. Department of State, 2010). During Toure’s 26-year regime, thousands of people disappeared, killed, or tortured until his death in 1984.
General Lasana Conte …show more content…
then seized power in 1984, replacing Guinea’s socialist agenda Toure created with a multiparty democracy and adopted a new constitution (CIA World Factbook). Through “irregularities” in the voting polls, Conte would continue to rule Guinea, being reelected president for his second term in 1998 and again in 2003 for his third. Following President Conte’s death in December of 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power by declaring himself President with an army of soldiers, thus re-establishing a government controlled by the military and the suspending of the Constitution (CIA World Factbook). In response, thousands of protestors gathered in Conakry towards Camara’s unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down from presidency. According to the U.S Department of State-Bureau of African Affairs, this heightened political tension led to Guinean soldiers to open fire towards the protestors, killing at least 157 protestors, wounding more than a 1,000 others, and sexually assaulting more than 100 women. In early December of 2009, Camara was wounded from a failed assassination attempt and evacuated to Morocco for medical treatment. Though his wounds were not fatal but necessary for a prolonged period of rehabilitation, a transitional government has been installed. General Konate has assumed the title of interim President of the Republic.
Government
Until December 23, 2008, Guinea was formerly a constitutional republic whose power was most concentrated on a strong presidency and legislative body (Travel Document System.com). The government is currently controlled by a military junta, General Konate, as the interim president with the assistance of a civilian prime minister. Before Konate took presidency, a military officer, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, seized power of Guinea forcefully. Camara would soon suffer from severe injuries from an assassination attempt that has led to General Konate to currently govern Guinea. Though General Konate has assumed the title of interim President of the Republic, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara remains the official president.
Under the reign of General Konate, the effort of establishing a transitional government has been signaled, along with the appointment of Jean-Marie Dore as Prime Minister (Travel Document System.com). The military junta is represented by the NCDD (National Council for Democracy and Development), in which suspended Guinea’s constitution. There are a total of thirty-four members present within the Prime Minister’s cabinet, in which twenty-four members are civilian ministers and the remaining ten members are military officials appointed by the CNDD (Travel Document System.com). Legislative elections, which were previously scheduled for June 2007, have been constantly delayed but have been expected to be conducted in mid-year 2010.
Geography
Guinea is located on the Atlantic Coast of West Africa, and is bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Guinea is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon in the United States, consisting of coastal plains, mountainous regions, a savanna interior, and forest area in the Guinea Highlands. The country is divided into four geographical regions: a narrow coastal belt (Lower Guinea), the pastoral Fouta Djallon highlands (Middle Guinea), the northern savanna (Upper Guinea), and the southeastern rain forest region (Forrest Guinea) (History Central). Twenty-two West African rivers form their origins in Guinea, such as the Niger, Gambia, and Senegal Rivers among those rivers. Guinea’s coastal regions and the majority of the inland encompass a tropical climate, with relatively high temperatures and humidity (History Central.com). Guinea receives heavy precipitation along its coastal regions, ranging from 60 inches on the savannas to about 170 inches on the coast (How Stuff Works.com). Towards the east, Guinea’s terrain rises to elevations more than 3,500 feet to form the Fouta Djallon plateau. The southeastern region of Guinea feature the heavily forest Guinea Highlands that attain heights of more than 5,700 feet (How Stuff Works.com).
Demographics/Population
According to the CIA World Factbook, Guinea has a population of 10, 057, 975 (July 2009 estimate) people in its country, including refugees and foreign residents. Guinea has four main ethnic groups that occupy the country:
• Peuhl (Foula or Foulani), people who resides in the mountainous Fouta Djallon.
• Malinke (or Mandingo), people located in the savannah and forest regions.
• Soussous, inhabitants in the coastal areas.
• Smaller ethnic groups inhabit in the forest region
Given Guinea’s population, Peuhl’s make up about 40%, Malinke’s total near 30%, Soussous’ near 20%, and the several smaller ethnic groups (Gerzé, Toma, etc.) make up nearly 10%. Seven national languages are widely used in Guinea, mainly due to each ethnic group having their own language, but French is the country’s official language. Other information is listed below (CIA World Factbook):
• Nationality: Noun and adjective, Guinean(s).
• Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, traditional beliefs 7%.
• Major infectious diseases (note- degree of risk is very high): o food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoa diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever o vector borne diseases: malaria and yellow fever o water contact disease: schistosomiasis o animal contact disease: rabies o aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever
Topic: Government brutality/Corruption
Article #1: Clinton calls alleged violence, rapes in Guinea ‘criminality of the greatest degree’
Violence in Guinea committed by its government troops illustrates “criminality of the greatest degree” according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition, she added that the government, controlled by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, should offer a “profound” apology towards the people of Guinea and forgo their power. Clinton’s statements were aimed towards the aftermath that was caused from Camara seizing power of Guinea forcefully with an army of soldiers in December 2008.
A highly devoted supporter of women’s rights, Clinton also addressed the crimes against women in Guinea, in which she was “particularly appalled” at such crime rates. She stated that the U.S. will take “appropriate actions” against the Guinea’s corrupted government, emphasizing “those who committed those acts should not be given any reason to expect that they will escape justice.” http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/06/clinton-calls-alleged-violence-rapes-in-guinea-c... 07.10.2009
Article #2: Rape in Guinea: No Justice, No Peace In the midst of the political demonstration that was suppressed by horror, cellular photos and witnesses reflected women being suitable targets of Guinean soldiers. Victims and witnesses described rapes, beatings, and acts of humiliation being done to women. According to the article, one photo revealed a naked woman lying on a muddy ground with her legs in the air and a military soldier in front of her. Other photos showed soldiers wearing a red beret pulling on the clothes of one terrified looking woman while she was half-sitting on the ground and another nude woman lying on the ground while her trousers were being pulled. These attacks took place on September 28, 2009, where thousands of Guineans gathered to protest the nation’s military junta, who was led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. Prior to the rally, Camara seized power of Guinea in a coup in December 2008 and recently broke the promise to the citizens of Guinea to not run for presidency for the scheduled presidential elections in January 2009. Local human rights organizations estimated at least 157 people were killed compared to the Guinean government putting the death figure at 56.
Due to the shame associated with sexual violence in Guinea, victims were hesitant to speak and doctors refused to comment on rape victims they treated. The fear of retribution is another concern dealt with by victims and witnesses of the attack where some did not provide their names in interviews. Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, an opposition leader who witnessed soldiers raping women and severely beaten as well, stated, “I saw many rapes . . . I saw a woman who was stripped naked. They ripped off, they tore off her clothes. They surrounded her. They made her lie down. They lifted up her feet, and one of the soldiers advanced. They took turns.” Although the severity of this incident is of major concern, antigovernment protestors are familiar with brutal repression tactics in which occurred in Guinea before in 2007 when military forces shot hundreds of citizens demonstrating against Lansana Conte, the president before Camara. Not just Guinea, but the entire continent of Africa utilizes rape as a common form of military oppression. When confronted about the numerous reports of woman being raped by his own elite soldiers, Camara stated, “I wasn’t at the stadium. These are things people have told me”, and blamed opposition figures instead. Though the sexual violence against woman continues to spread fears in Guinea, it citizens are hoping for a rapid change. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/world/africa/06guinea.html?pagewanted=1 Article #3: Guinea leader survives attack
CNN reports that Moussa Dadis Camara, the military leader of the West African nation of Guinea, was shot and wounded while in his presidential convoy when it was surprisingly attacked. The attack, which occurred early December 2009, took place in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and is suspected of being caused from increased international and internal pressure for Camara to step down from presidency and hold elections in January 2010 with him not being a candidate. Camara has given no indication if he will follow through with such orders, giving that he seized power of Guinea in a coupe in December 2008. Moussa Dadis Camara seized power in a bloodless coup in Guinea in December 2008
It’s also known that a demonstration was violently put down in September 2009 that may have also sparked the attack on Camara’s presidential convoy. Military soldiers intentionally fired upon innocent civilians in Conakry’s national stadium according to human rights groups, where at least 157 people were killed and multitudes of women raped. The Amnesty International reports that the military in Guinea continues to investigate opposition in the country through human rights violations. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/12/03/guinea.leader/index.html Article #4: Rein in Soldiers - Armed Robbery, Extortion, and Intimidation Under New Government The Human Rights Watch have discovered numerous reports of Guinean soldiers implementing routine acts of theft and violence against its citizens and businesspeople since the new government rose to power in a military coup in December 2008.
They believe that this new government should put a stop towards such atrocity by carrying out investigations and prosecuting soldiers for wrong-doings. Nearly 19 incidents were collected by the Human Rights Watch from victims and witnesses, describing how these heavily armored soldiers in red berets, and traveling in both civilian and military vehicles with no license plate raided offices, homes, businesses, and medical clinics in broad daylight and at night. Soldiers have stolen quantities of wholesale and retail merchandise, among other items of innocent civilian’s personal
possessions. Witnesses and victims were also able to report that some soldiers appeared to be intoxicated, therefore threatening and assaulting victims. Numerous occasions of extortion by soldiers was also documented by the Human Rights Watch, including the rape of a 15 year old girl by a soldier and intimidation tactics used in judiciary meetings. According to the article, small groups of soldiers interrupted several judicial proceedings and threatened lawyers in the sense to influence particular outcomes of proceedings.
Guinean military soldiers participating in these thefts and other criminal acts refer themselves to the National Council for Democracy and Development (NCDD), who forcefully seized power of Guinea on December 22, 2008 hours after the death of Lansana Conte, who was president for 24 years. In addition to the seize, the coupe’s leader and self acclaimed president of Guinea, Cpt. Moussa Dadis Camara, suspended the country’s constitution and promised Guinean citizens to hold an election in January 2009 in which he never did.
In most cases of theft, Guinean military soldiers announced that they were on an official mission for the CNDD and refused to show victims any identification or documentation justifying their actions (i.e. search warrant, arrest warrant). Since establishing their self-proclaimed power in Guinea, the CNDD have conducted multitudes of investigations against drug traffickers, the production and sale of counterfeit medicines, and corrupted government officials, where the majority of the human rights abuses reported by victims have occurred. The article provides numerous examples of claimed actions, such as soldiers robbing several Chinese-owned businesses and restaurants claiming they were searching for counterfeit machine and suspected of manufacturing and selling false antibiotics. No evidence of any such criminal acts was ever found, nor did Guinean military soldiers attempt to show a search warrant. In addition, the Human Rights Watch also documented statements from business owners that they were momentarily detained in a military vehicle, as soldiers robbed them of money, cellular phones, and other valuables, and then released them.
The Human Rights Watch also documented instances where soldiers robbed Guinean citizens living near homes or businesses suspected of drug trafficking. According to these victims, military soldiers searched and robbed their homes under the suspicion of alleged contraband, in which there was none. Lawsuits of damages for forced entry and armed robbery were filed against Guinean military soldiers for which they said that doors was broken, furniture destroyed, cars were stolen, and even a generator was reported missing. Guinean lawyers told the Human Rights Watch that these soldiers are only using their goal of fighting drug trafficking as an excuse to commit such criminal acts.
Military officials claim that these criminal acts were done by ordinary citizens posing as military soldiers. However, witnesses and victims reported that soldiers dressed in their dull military attire, with bars indicating their military rank on their shirts, committed these criminal acts in broad daylight. Another interesting fact reported by the Human Rights Watch was that businessman, who reported having their cars stolen my soldiers, observed their cars being driven by military soldiers into and exiting military camps in Conakry.
But for Guinean citizens, filing a police report against the abuses committed by military soldiers is hopeless. Guinean law declares that the police and gendarmerie hold the power to investigate crimes, where suspected perpetrators are civilians or members in the military. Since the military coup seized power of Guinea, the military has almost completely taken over police tasks, including criminal investigations. According to the article, “. . . owners of five businesses robbed at around the same time on February 16 filed a police report, but were told by the police that since the coup, they were no longer ‘authorized by the military to conduct investigations.’ ” Officers described how the military prohibit their roles of conducting patrols and investigations in response to the crime wave in Guinea when conversing with the Human Rights Watch. One officer recalled in the article how a suspect, who was detained by authorities for questioning in connection with a burglary, was removed from police custody at the police station and placed into a military vehicle for questioning at a military camp. http://allafrica.com/stories/200904290333.html Article 5: UN Verifies Atrocities: Murder, Rape, Torture
The article reveals the UN’s inquiry of a 59-page report that connects the Junta leader of Guinea responsible for the killings, rapes, and other atrocities against protestors that took place on September 28, 2009, in which many Guineans recall a “massacre” in Conakry, Guinea. The majority of these crimes that occurred were mainly done by Camara’s presidential guards, or Red Berets, in which UN representatives suggest that he and others should be charged with crimes against humanity. The report describes explicit instances of beatings, rapes, and victims barricaded and suffocated in the capital’s national stadium. The report also mentioned that military soldiers confined numerous women and young girls (the number is unknown) for three to five days in military facilities where acts of mass rape occurred. Prior to the UN receiving this report for suspicion of such acts, constant scenes of the September 28 events were caught on cell phone images, eyewitness testimonies, and human rights protestors that shocked the world to individual’s that didn’t pay no attention to the overcrowded country along Africa’s Atlantic coastline. The report was first published in French that included a short summary in English. It then was sent to the UN Security Council, where it would be highly considered amongst UN representatives after it becomes translated in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. According to the article, the report demonstrated to have found “reasonable grounds that the crimes may constitute crimes against humanity”. It specifically stated that it could identify at least 156 who were killed or disappeared during the nightmarish incident on September 28, 2009. In addition, the report also says that “. . . at least 109 women were victims of rape, sexual mutilation and other acts of sexual violence. Hundreds of others were abused and tens of others were arbitrarily arrested, many of them tortured”.
Aboubacar Cherif Diakite, also known as Toumba, is one of many individuals responsible for the abuses committed by military soldiers against Guinean citizens, though he has been out of sight for some time now. He is also responsible for the shooting and wounding of the military junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, where he was one of Camara’s fellow henchmen. Moussa Thegboro Camara, a commander responsible for combating drug trafficking and banditry, is also suspected for being responsible for such acts by the military. When asked questions of the reported behavior by military soldiers, the junta government denied any responsibility and created a Commission of Inquiry in response to the international outcry. The African and European Union has imposed a variety of sanctions on Guinea and its government while further investigation has been started. Among these sanctions include an arms embargo, a travel ban, and freezes on particular assets held outside the country. The United States has also imposed a sanction, prohibiting any means of travel for military leaders. The human rights of Guinean citizens are still demoralized since the UN’s involvement and Dadis Camara seizing power in December 2008 with a military coup. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evelyn-leopold/guinea-un-verifies-mass-a_b_400058.html Article 6: Guinea calls corruption hearings An estimated 14 people was summoned by Guinea’s military government to appear before a commission investigating graft claims. Former prime ministers for sport and finance, and ex-chief of protocol who worked under the late president Lansana Conte are a handful of members who must appear at a court hearing in the capital of Conakry. Failure to attend the hearing can lead to confiscation of the individual’s property, according to the article. Former Finance Minister Ousmane Dore was summoned to court in account for five million dollars which was supposedly dispersed for Guinea’s 50th independence anniversary from France in 2008.
Ex-Sports Minister Baidy Aribot is suspected of inappropriately spending nearly fifteen million dollars in funding for the national football teams participation in the African Cup of Nations that was held in Ghana in 2008. Idrissa Thiam, former state chief of protocol, will be questioned in regards to forty million dollars in funding; though it is believed that he have left the country several months ago.
The 14 individuals are restricted from traveling outside the country until further investigations are complete. Since seizing power of Guinea in 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara tries to attempt his first task of ending corruption in Guinea as President. In addition, President Camara also announced the formation of a military junta government in Guinea where military soldiers will promote finance, defense, security, and justice ministries. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7844674.stm Article 7: Reputation for corruption worsens Officials from the Transparency International (TI) released data indicating that Guinea dropped five spots in 2008 rankings of perceptions of corruption. Official’s claim that Guinea’s increased corruption can lead to city services being threatened, increase drug trafficking, and damage economic growth. Mamadou Taran Diallo, a TI representative, proposed Guinea’s inefficiency to flourish as a country is through it lack of ability to exterminate corruption. Diallo stated, “Guinea’s rank at 173, tied with Chad and Sudan, out of 180 countries is a clear and persistent sign our country is stuck at the bottom.” Mohamed Francois Falcon, executive director of the government-appointed national anti-corruption agency, presumed Guinea’s low rank of corruption is due to the multitude of strikes the country faced in 2007 that destroyed business and halted governance. Demonstrators began a deadly protest against former President Lansana Conte’s decision to release specific individuals arrested for corruption charges and cost of living increases.
As a result, “people chased governors [and other officials] form their posts” Falcon stated. Falcon continued, stating “Guinea’s lower rank is because of the dysfunctional administration [during this period], the weak judiciary, and embezzlement . . .”. Another issue Falcon discusses in the article that also contributes to Guinea’s increasingly corruption rate is the lack will and independence to tackle such an issue. He notes that the executive branch of government, most notably, must be able to work together with anti-corruption agencies to aid the corruption problem in Guinea. The article mentions an increasingly amount of drug traffickers that has been created from the result of Guinea’s lack of ability to fight against corruption. According to the article, these traffickers have taken advantage of Guinea’s insufficient justice system and have the ability to persuade public officials to help transit drugs through Guinea and other West African countries. With the combination of these two devastating factors, residences of Guinea have told reporters that the consequences of corruption have cut off numerous amounts of water supply, halted electricity, and terrible heath care that promotes a service to bribe people. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=80575 Article 8: Guinea drug agents are ‘corrupt’
Guinea’s Police Commissioner Moussa Sackho Camara told BBC News reporters that he believes that some of his own drug agents are “collaborators” of drug traffickers in Guinea. Law enforcement agents in Guinea traces its increasing drug trafficking problems to Latin American drug dealers who have began using countries in West Africa to travel drugs rather than their traditional routes through the Caribbean, which have become more policed.
Upon Camara’s arrival as the new Police Commissioner in August 2008, he longed suspected that some agents in the drug unit were corrupt when they started commuting to work in limousines and had them parked outside his office. Furthermore, Camara’a suspicion of corrupt agents increased when several suspected drug traffickers was freed form detainment without being acknowledged about the matter. Not just corrupt agents contribute to Guinea’s drug trafficking, but poverty, instability, and weak institutions also attracts many West African countries to drug dealer’s expense, according to law enforcement agents. The UN estimates as much as 50 tonnes of cocaine is shipped through Guinea each year, the article reports. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7683696.stm Guinea Compared to the U.S. Corruption in the United States does exist, but not to the extent where it affects infrastructure, the economy, and governance such as Guinea’s corruption issue. More often, police brutality, rather than government brutality that occurs in Guinea, does have a long history associated with the United States. The New York Times published an article introducing the Transparency International’s, or TI, 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index that measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 178 countries in the world (Jolly, David, 2010). The United States is currently ranked 22, thus being knocked out of the top 20 global rankings. Though the U.S. dropped from 19 in 2009 and slipping to 22 this year, it still rest comfortably among the top fifth of the 128 country study.
There are numerous forms of corruption, which may include embezzlement, extortion, graft, bribery, and patronage. Other forms of corruption may facilitate criminal behavior like money laundering, drug trafficking, or human trafficking. Political corruption is most common within the U.S. where government officials use their legislative powers for private gains. One scandal in the form of corruption that is most memorable in the history of the United States is the “Watergate” scandal that involved former President Robert M. Nixon. Nixon, who was a Republican, had several people break into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office in Washington, D.C so he can be re-elected for another term.
In Guinea’s situation, corruption in their government involves political figures, or military personnel, misuse of government powers for purposes of repression or authority over its civilians. Furthermore, corruption in Guinea may also be used in ways that may promote criminal enterprise such as the increasingly amount of drug trafficking that is occurring there.
In terms of the issue in drug trafficking, both the United States and Guinea attract ruthless and aggressive drug traffickers. Both drug law enforcement agencies in each country face a tough task of protecting it country’s borders. In the U.S. drug trafficking dilemma, traffickers from South America smuggle cocaine and heroin into the United States through variety of routes, including land routes through Mexico, maritime routes along the east and west coastal areas of Mexico, sea routes through the Caribbean, and international air corridors (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). Neighboring Mexico drug smugglers also engage in numerous ways to smuggle drugs into the U.S., in which has lasted since the 1970s. Mexico smugglers smuggle cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and marijuana into the United States through the Southwest border, and have expanded its drug transportation to numerous parts in the eastern parts of the country (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004).
Unlike Guinea’s law enforcement agency, the U.S. has made some progress towards the fight against drugs with the assistance of numerous participating countries, its military, and government funding of anti-drug programs. Guinea’s failure in response to their drug trafficking issue can be traced from multiple stipulations. One conflict deals with the high amounts of corruption the country faces within its political and law enforcement sectors that co-operate with drug smugglers ability to transport drugs through West African countries. Other conditions that contribute towards Guinea’s problem of tackling drug trafficking can be associated with its high rates of poverty, instability, and weak institutions that may attract such sophisticated drug smugglers.
YouTube Video
Rape-Tool of Political Repression This video depicts human rights violations that have been ongoing in the history of Guinea. On September 29, 2008, more than 150 Guinean civilians were killed and more than 100 women raped as they protested against Guinea’s military junta. The leader of Guinea’s military junta is Captain Moussa Dadis Camara who seized power of the country in a military coup of December 2008, shortly after the death of former President Lansana Conte. In addition, he also