Monday, January 29, 2007

[PC Guinea news] Official Peace Corps press release on evacuation of Guinea PCVs

From: Official Peace Corps website

Peace Corps Volunteers in Guinea Are Safe

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2007 – Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter announced that all volunteers serving in Guinea are safe and are consolidated in Mali. Volunteers were moved to Mali as a precautionary measure due to the on-going strikes and demonstrations in Guinea. The duration of the Guinea Volunteers’ stay in Mali will be contingent upon the situation/events in Guinea.

The Peace Corps office in Conakry remains open. The U.S. Embassy is operating under voluntary, authorized departure. No Americans have been targeted in the demonstrations. The Peace Corps staff in Guinea remains in constant communication with Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. Each Peace Corps program has an Emergency Action Plan specific to that country and developed in cooperation with Peace Corps Washington and the local U.S. Embassy. The plans are evaluated and tested frequently and information is updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their roles and responsibilities, and posts are prepared for all emergencies.

Since the initial opening of the program in 1962, more than 1,200 Volunteers have served in Guinea. After a hiatus, Peace Corps returned to Guinea in 1985, and today there are 111 Volunteers serving in the areas of business development, education, environment, health and HIV/AIDS projects.

Families may contact the Peace Corps' Office of Special Services with any questions or concerns they may have. Special Services maintains a 24-hour a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services can also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.

The Peace Corps is celebrating a 45-year legacy of service at home and abroad. Since 1961, more than 187,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

[Guinean news] General strike over

The BBC reports that unions in Guinea have ended the 17 day old general strike that paralyzed the nation and during which nearly 60 people have died. The head of state Gen. Lansana Conté agreed to name a prime minister who would be head of the government.

A three-way communiqué agreed to by the government, unions and state institutions was read over state radio by a union leader, according to Guinéenews.

According to the communiqué, the strike is suspended as of tonight (20 Jan.) because the principal demands, notably the naming of a consensus prime minister/head of government, the improvement of the living conditions of workers and many others, were satisfied.

The union leader emphasized that the new prime minister, who has not yet been named, is supposed to have the power to propose to the president both members of the government and high-ranking state officials. He also added that the central bank would become an institution entirely independent from the executive.

Friday, January 26, 2007

[Guinean news] Conté reportedly to cede some powers

The Guinean leader, Gen. Lansana Conté, has agreed to cede some powers to "a prime minister who is head of government," according to a union leader.

Following his sacking of reformist prime minister Cellou Dallien Diallo last April, Gen. Conté has served as both head of state and head of government.

Though a prime minister with real powers was a key demand of unions, it is unclear if this will put an end to the general strike that has led to almost 60 deaths in two weeks.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

[PC Guinea news] Peace Corps evacuates Guinea volunteers

The Associated Press is reporting that the Peace Corps started evacuating about 100 volunteers from Guinea to nearby Mali on Wednesday, said Michael Simsik, the program's assistant country director in Mali. He said the organization was concerned that the strike could limit access to food or fuel supplies in the countryside.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

[PC Guinea news] Peace Corps headquarters' statement on the safety of Guinea volunteers

Rumors have circulated in the last day or so which I will not repeat, as I am unable to confirm them. But on behalf of those who inquired, I pursued the matter with the Peace Corps. I received the following response today from Amanda Host, the Peace Corps (DC) press director:

As you are aware, due to the General Strike in Guinea that began on January 10th, all Peace Corps Volunteers in Guinea are currently on standfast. Under a standfast order Volunteers are to remain at their sites and maintain frequent communication with the Peace Corps office. No Americans have been targeted during the strike. In Guinea’s active history of labor strikes, there has not been an incident involving harm to a Volunteer nor have Americans been targeted.

Peace Corps Guinea is in regular contact with the 105 Volunteers, and all Volunteers are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps office in Conakry remains open, as does the U.S. Embassy and the situation is being monitored carefully. Peace Corps Guinea has an Emergency Action Plan designed for situations such as this strike, and all Volunteers have been trained on what to do during these events. Peace Corps staff in Washington, D.C., is in constant communication with the staff in Guinea.

Please ask the families to contact the Peace Corps’ office of special services with any questions or concerns they may have. Special Services maintains a 24-hour a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services can also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov


I realize this is not the specifics that many of you would have liked but I suspect there are privacy and safety issues that prevent them from releasing more details to me. Feel free to contact the OSS (see above) if you want more information.

-Brian Farenell, FOG Communications Director

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

[Guinean news] Bissao-Guinean troops cross border into Guinea

On Monday, Guinean union leaders were arrested and later released. Following their release, they were taken to meet with the head of state Gen. Lansana Conté who, a union leader said, registered his displeasure about their arrest, according to the BBC.

On Monday evening, the government announced that they would hold an inquiry into the violence when demonstrators heading for parliament got into running battles with the police in Conakry.

Some 23 people were reportedly killed in Conakry and other towns on Monday alone.

The UN's IRIN news service reports that special forces from neighboring Guinea-Bissau had crossed the border and were "at the [Guinean] town of Buruntuma to support the army," according to a senior Bissao-Guinean officer.

There is a military cooperation agreement between the two countries and longstanding close personal relations between Conté and Guinea-Bissau's president "Nino" Vieira. Conté sent troops to support Vieira's regime during uprisings in that country in 1996 and 1998. Some analysts see this as a sign of increasing desperation on the part of the regime in Conakry.

Monday, January 22, 2007

[PC Guinea news] Peace Corps Guinea statement on the safety of PCVs during the general strike

Peace Corps Guinea Country Director Steve Petersen has issued the following statement regarding the safety of volunteers during the general strike:

Due to the general strike that began on January 10th, all Peace Corps Volunteers are on Stand Fast. Under a Stand Fast order, Volunteers are asked to remain at their sites and maintain frequent communication with our in country Peace Corps offices. We currently have 105 Volunteers in Guinea, and we are in regular contact with all of them; at this time, they are all safe and accounted for.

As you've likely read or heard about already, there have been some incidences of violence in Conakry as a result of confrontations between the police and other peacekeeping forces and demonstrators, and there have been demonstrations in locations up country as well. No Americans have been targeted during the strike, nor do we see any sign they will be. In Guinea's active history of labor strikes, there has never been an incident involving harm to a Volunteer.

The Peace Corps office in Conakry remains open, as does the U.S. Embassy, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We have an Emergency Action Plan designed for situations such as this, and all Volunteers have been trained on what to do during these events. We have also placed additional resources (fuel, vehicles, increased staffing, etc.) in our regional capitals to support Volunteers in the interior of the country

We are in constant communication with the Peace Corps staff in Washington, D.C. Please contact Peace Corps' Office of Special Services with any questions or concerns you may have. Special Services maintains a 24-hour a day, 7 days a week duty system and they are frequently updated on the situation in country. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services can also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.

[Guinean news] 11 more killed during general strike; Conté appeals for unity

On the 13th day of the nationwide general strike, at least 11 people were killed in Conakry's suburbs and over 100 injured during running battles with the poilce, reports the BBC.

The largest protests of the strike occurred the day after head of state General Lansana Conté made an appeal on state radio for both the people and the military to back him.

"Those who want power must wait their turn. It is God who gives power and when he gives it to someone, everyone must stand behind him," Conté warned.

Reuters reports that protesters in Labé slit the throat of an effigy symbolising Conte before marching it in a coffin through the streets at the weekend.

"These are not union demands but political demands. It is an attempted civilian coup d'etat," said Sékou Konaté, secretary-general of the ruling Party of Unity and Progress.

Opposition UPG party leader Jean-Marie Doré warned that planned African Union mediation was too little, too late. "The Guinean people have already taken their destiny in hand. Now is not the moment to stop the process of change," he said.

After nearly two weeks, food is running scarce in the capital.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

[PC Guinea news] Peace Corps Washington statement on safety of Guinea PCVs during the general strike

Newsletter editor Woody Collahan passed along the following statement from Nicole Lewis, of the Guinea desk at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, DC.

All Volunteers are safe and accounted for. Peace Corps is in daily contact with the Volunteers. Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. There have been no threats towards Americans, in this strike or others in the past. The Peace Corps office in Conakry is open, as is the US Embassy.

Peace Corps Guinea has an Emergency Action Plan that the Volunteers have been trained in and they were prepared
for the strike. Additional resources were stockpiled up country in regional capitals as well. The Volunteers remain on standfast – staying at their sites with the support of host families, friends and their communities.

We can appreciate the concern. All Volunteers are safe and we continue to monitor the situation very closely.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

[Guinean news] Four more killed in general strike; top presidential adviser sacked

The tenth day of the Guinean nationwide general strike saw four people killed in the southeastern city of N'Zérékoré, all by bullets. 16 were injured, according to Guinéenews.

The West African regional grouping ECOWAS has sent two neighboring leaders to try to mediate the Guinean crisis: Abdoulaye Wade and Olesegun Obasanjo, presidents of Senegal and Nigeria respectively.

The Guinean head of state Gen. Lansana Conté dismissed his top advisor, presidential affairs minister Fodé Bangoura. With the prime ministerial post vacant and the Conté ailing, Bangoura had been seen by many as the de facto leader of the government.

AngolaPress reports that some close associates of General Conte recently accused Bangoura of being behind the strikers who have condemned the head of state for interfering with the judicial process, which might explain why the strike was launched after Conté had personally freed two of his close allies jailed on corruption charges after a public feud with Bangoura.

In the last few years, Bangoura is the third head of government (if de facto) to be sacked after trying to take strong action against corruption, after the former prime ministers Cellou Dalien Diallo and François Loucény Fall.

Transparency International recently named Guinea as the most corrupt country in Africa.

Friday, January 19, 2007

[Guinean news] Two more die during general strike

The BBC reports that two more people, both youths, have been shot and killed in the 10th day of Guinea's general strike. One of the deaths occurred in Conakry, despite the cancellation of the march in the capital due to a death in the family of one of the union leaders. Another was killed in Kissidougou.

Guinéenews reports that protesters in Mamou marched in front of the city's prison chanting "the real thieves are in Conakry." This reference to Mamadou Sylla and Fodé Soumah, two close allies of Gen. Lansana Conté jailed on corruption charges but liberated unilaterally by the head of state.

Dustin Sharp of Human Rights Watch told Voice of America radio's Africa News Tonight program that he was surprised how many Guineans made reference to Ukraine's Orange Revolution in explaining their committment.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

[Guinean news] General strike news from upcountry

Thursday marked the ninth day of the nationwide general strike in Guinea. According to the AFP news agency, a 20-year-old man was killed by gunfire when police dispersed demonstrators Wednesday in Labe.

Union leaders asked National Assembly president Aboubacar Somparé "to convene the Supreme Court, in line with provisions of the basic law, to declare a vacancy in power" and thus remove head of state Gen. Lansana Conté from power. Somparé would be the constitutional successor if a vacancy in the presidency were to occur.

The UN's IRIN news service reported that marches in Mamou, Kankan, Fria, Nzerekore, Pita, Labe and Kindia were also broken up by armed police, with marchers in Labé ransacking government offices.

Speaking on Guinean national radio, police superintendent Mansou Mansare denied that the security services were responsible for the deaths and said they were there to "protect the marchers".

The IRIN added, In a statement read on state television on Tuesday evening, Conte said he needed more time to consider the union’s demands that he change the government, but did offer to cut the cost of fuel and to force foreign mining companies to keep their revenues in the country.

Guinéenews reports that the préfet of Pita was chased out of the city.

Union leaders met with Gen. Conté but the head of state reportedly threatened to have them killed.

Though a local journalist opined that security forces have been better disciplined than usual.

Workers in the country's critical bauxite industry have joined the walkout.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

[Guinean news] Unions threaten to expand general strike

The Voice of America reports that leaders of the weeklong nationwide general strike in Guinea say if the work stoppage is not settled by Thursday, they will extend the strike to the mining sector. Guinea is the world's largest exporter of bauxite, a key source of aluminum. The industry is critical to the country's economy.

Union representatives also met with Muslim leaders in Conakry, asking the imams 'to not let Guinea burn.'

Monday, January 15, 2007

[Guinean news] Violence mars general strike

The sixth day of a nationwide general strike in Guinea saw clashes between strikers and authorities.

The Voice of America reported that Dozens of people [in Conakry] were arrested after Guinean youths took to the streets in support of striking workers. Several others were wounded by rubber bullets and tear gas when the military intervened to disperse the demonstration.

Reports state that there is almost no traffic in Conakry, except for military vehicles.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

[RPCV news] Death of Two Sons screenings

Projects Director Dana Schneider reports:

There will be screenings in February in New York and Washington, DC of the film Death of Two Sons, a documentary by Guinea RPCV Micah Schaffer about the lives and deaths of Jesse Thyne and Amadou Diallo (see www.deathoftwosons.com for a synopsis). A later screening of the film is planned for Atlanta in April. If you will be in town, please plan to attend--the film is receiving wonderful response! See below for the dates.

DEATH OF TWO SONS
Directed by Micah Schaffer
Produced by Alrick Brown

Amadou Diallo Memorial Screening
New York, NY – Friday, Feb. 2nd, 2007 at 7PM
The Riverside Church
91 Claremont Avenue, New York, 10027

TransAfrica Forum
Washington, DC Premiere - Thursday, Feb. 8th, 2007, 6:30PM
The Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University (GWU)
805 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052

The Atlanta screening will take place between April 18 and 22 as part of the Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival (www.SJUFF.com) . Exact date and time TBA.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

[PC Guinea news] G13 arrival delayed

A message from Peace Corps Guinea director Steve Peterson:

Labor unions in Guinea have called for nationwide strikes to start on Wednesday, January 10th, with no pre-determined duration indicated. We anticipate disruption of basic services throughout Guinea and feel that providing adequate logistical support to a group of 44 new trainees during this period would be difficult and uncertain. As such, we have decided to postpone the arrival of the next training class (G13) by three to four weeks.

Peace Corps Washington is currently working to reconfirm an itinerary for a new arrival date, tentatively scheduled for February, 3rd (staging tentatively scheduled for January 31st in Philadelphia), but possibly a few days later. We will confirm new dates as soon as possible.

Peace Corps/Guinea appreciates everyone's patience and looks forward to receiving this new group of trainees in early February 2007.

Friday, January 05, 2007

[Guinean news] Trade unions to resume general strike, hint at military coup

Guinea's main trade union collective, CNTG-USTG, has announced that it will launch an unlimited national general strike starting on Jaunary 10.

The unions' communiqué (the text is available here in French) cited a number of reasons for their decision, including what it describes as:

-The interference of the head of state into judicial affairs by illegally liberating citizens in conflict with the law, particularly those accused of corruption and graft,

-The inability to the government to stop the continued depreciation of the Guinean franc, which aggravates inflation and hurts the purchasing power of workers,

-The government's violation of Article 18 of the Guinean constitution regarding the independance of labor organizations and

-The indifference of other national institutions (Supreme Court, National Assembly, Economic and Social Council) toward this state of affairs.

The communiqué also the following quixotic reference in explaining its decision to strike...

"Given the that the valliant Guinean army will continue to play its role and defend the hard working people of Guinea in distress..."

A call which some might interpret as an appeal for the military to stage a coup d'État

Update: A high ranking official of the CNTG insists that his union 'will never encourage a military coup d'Etat.'


Note: This entry was reprinted from the blog Black Star Journal, with permission of the author.

Monday, January 01, 2007

[Development issues] Africa's infrastructure

National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation dedicated a show entitled 'Giving Africa Infrastructure for Growth.'

NPR's website explains:

The wheels of commerce turn on paved roads, working phones and dependable power. In the United States, we take these things for granted. In parts of Africa, infrastructure is either crumbling or non-existent. Guests explore how some people hope to make Africa work better.

Guests:

Steve Morrison, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Thomas Gibian, managing director of the Emerging Markets Partners. He is head of African investments for EMP.

Eloho Otobo, chief of the Policy Analysis and Monitoring Unit in the Office of the Special Advisor for Africa at the United Nations.


You can access the audio of this show by clicking here.