ETHIOPIA / GUINEA: African Union suspends Guinea shortly after civil society groups and regional bloc cautiously endorse Guinean coup

Record ID: 453917

  • Title: ETHIOPIA / GUINEA: African Union suspends Guinea shortly after civil society groups and regional bloc cautiously endorse Guinean coup
  • Date: 30th December 2008
  • Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (DECEMBER 29, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SINYINZA, ZAMBIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE AFRICAN UNION AND CHAIRPERSON OF AU PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL, SAYING: "Our decision has gone in that direction, and that is to suspend Guinea. But what is positive also is that the African Union, through the Commissioner and through the chairperson, will continue to engage the new government and the coup leaders to see whether they can address the issue of bringing Guinea back to the constitutional format. We cannot accept the coup in Guinea. So we will be speaking to those leaders of the junta on their intentions in terms of bringing Guinea back to the constitutional format." CONAKRY, GUINEA (DECEMBER 27, 2008) (REUTERS) SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF BUILDING INSIDE A MILITARY CAMP VARIOUS OF NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT (CNDD) MEMBERS RECEIVING ECOWAS DELEGATION (SOUNDBITE) (French) MOHAMED IBN CHABAS, SECRETARY-GENERAL, ECOWAS, SAYING: "We want to help the Guinean people to have a break from the past, a new beginning, to build a true democracy in Guinea, but this can only be done with the profound participation of the Guinean people." VARIOUS OF ECOWAS DELEGATION MEETING TRADE UNION MEMBERS VARIOUS OF TRADE UNION MEMBERS LEAVING MEETING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (French) IBRAHIMA KONE, SECRETARY-GENERAL, GUINEA TRADE UNIONS ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "Who are the men and women who will be responsible for managing this transition? Not a single Guinean entity has the solution for all these problems. There must be an inclusive dialogue, uniting all political, social and military actors in the country to find the best path for Guinea towards democracy and development." CONAKRY, GUINEA (DECEMBER 28, 2008) (REUTERS) CONAKRY PORT ENTRANCE TRAFFIC AT PORT ENTRANCE PEDESTRIANS FISHERMEN AT SEA FISHING BOATS AT SHORE VARIOUS OF FISHERMEN REPAIRING NETS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMED TIMBO, FISHERMAN, SAYING: "Presently, we don't have any disturbance. We do not know if as time goes on, how that will affect us, you see, but I love the revolution. The revolution came in a peaceful way. They are not killing somebody, they are not tormenting foreigners, only to solve, to maintain our problems." VARIOUS STREET SCENES VARIOUS OF AYOBA BANE IN HIS SHOP (SOUNDBITE) (French) AYOBA BANE, TRADER, SAYING: "It is only now that we are re-opening our shop. We were just sleeping at home doing nothing, nothing was working. Even today, it is Sunday, and we are opening the shop so we have something to eat, because it is difficult at the moment." CONAKRY, GUINEA (DECEMBER 26, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DECEASED PRESIDENT LANSANA CONTE'S FUNERAL CORTEGE AT THE CONAKRY STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVABLF552H4GWYHLQHOLWZWOD1AZ
  • Story Text: The African Union suspended Guinea on Monday (December 29) following last week's coup and called for a return to constitutional order in the West African country.

    "Our decision has gone in that direction, and that is to suspend Guinea. But what is positive also is that the African Union, through the Commissioner and through the chairperson, will continue to engage the new government and the coup leaders to see whether they can address the issue of bringing Guinea back to the constitutional format. We cannot accept the coup in Guinea. So we will be speaking to those leaders of the junta on their intentions in terms of bringing Guinea back to the constitutional format," said Patrick Sinyinza, who chairs the AU's Peace and Security Council.
    A military junta seized power and installed a little-known army captain as de facto leader of the world's biggest bauxite exporter following the death of veteran ruler Lansana Conte.
    While neighbour Senegal has endorsed the military junta, the African Union typically takes a strong line against any breaches of constitutional order among its 53-member states.
    Shortly before the AU's announcement the West African bloc ECOWAS and local civil society groups had said they would work with the junta and other political actors to move quickly to elections so as to "avoid sanctions".

    "We want to help the Guinean people to have a break from the past, a new beginning, to build a true democracy in Guinea, but this can only be done with the profound participation of the Guinean people," said Mohamed Ibn Chambas, secretary-general of the West African bloc ECOWAS.
    This call for swift elections is echoed by local political leaders who have cautiously endorsed the coup as a way of blocking succession by the Conte elite, and by the international community, which has generally condemned it as unconstitutional.

    "Who are the men and women who will be responsible for managing this transition? Not a single Guinean entity has the solution for all these problems. There must be an inclusive dialogue, uniting all political, social and military actors in the country to find the best path for Guinea towards democracy and development," said Ibrahima Kone, who runs a coalition of Guinean trade unions.
    The junta has promised Guineans a clean break from a nearly quarter century of Conte's rule, which saw the diabetic, chain-smoking general govern with a corrupt clique of military and civilian cronies.
    The new rulers have promised elections in December 2010, saying they have no wish to keep power. They have also pledged to review multi-billion dollar mining contracts with foreign firms.

    "Presently, we don't have any disturbance. We do not know if as time goes on, how that will affect us, you see, but I love the revolution. The revolution came in a peaceful way. They are not killing somebody, they are not tormenting foreigners, only to solve, to maintain our problems," said Mohamed Timbo, a fisherman.
    But although the soldiers have been cheered in the streets and applauded by political and civil society leaders, Africa watchers say their words are the staple offering of incoming reformers, used more often than not to justify violent or unconstitutional takeovers.
    Guinea's own Conte, who as a colonel took over in a bloodless 1984 coup after the death of the first president, the Marxist Sekou Toure, made similar early public pledges to usher in an a new era of freedom and prosperity.
    But the vast majority of Guineans still live in poverty, without regular electricity or piped water despite the nation's mineral riches, which besides a third of the world's known bauxite -- used to make aluminium -- include gold, iron ore and diamonds.

    "It is only now that we are re-opening our shop. We were just sleeping at home doing nothing, nothing was working. Even today, it is Sunday, and we are opening the shop so we have something to eat, because it is difficult at the moment," said Ayoba Bane, who runs a small shop in Conakry.
    Human Rights Watch has expressed concern that even with Conte dead, real power would remain in the hands of the same military units which helped the late president ruthlessly suppress anti-government riots last year.
    More than 180 people were killed, most shot dead by the security forces, including the presidential guard, the New York-based group says.
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