What You Should Know About Guinea's Coup
-- Foreign Policy Blog
-- Foreign Policy Blog
The first thing to say about the coup attempt that followed the death of Guinean President Lansana Conté is that it's something of a miracle it took 24 years. The president, who died of diabetes Monday, was hardly a beloved exemplar of democratic values. By the time of his death, even the once-loyal Army was starting to mutiny over low pay. In fact, for many West Africa watchers, Guinea's fall into chaos has only been a matter of time.
For more than two years leading up the president's death, political wrangling and unrest were the norm. General strikes in 2006 paralyzed the country. Conté refused to leave power and poverty was consuming the country. I was in Senegal at the time, and the stories we heard there were fierce: Strikes were so strictly adhered to that any passing soul on the street would be shot. There was violence between police and civilians -- as has also become the norm in times of crisis in Guinea.
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More News On The Coup In Guinea
Guinea coup leaders demote all generals -- Yahoo News/AP
Public misery behind support for Guinea coup, says ex-PM -- AFP
Guinea's junta blocks mining contracts in anti-corruption drive -- AFP
Guinea Coup Leaders Meet Civil Society -- Voice of America
ANALYSIS-Guinea's coup: a true break with past or deja vu? -- Reuters
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