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President is Guinea's main problem, says think tank
Dakar (AFP) June 25, 2008 Guinea's "main problem is president Lansana Conte", the International Crisis Group think tank said Wednesday of the situation in the West African nation shaken by army and police protests. In its report "Guinea: Ensuring Democratic Reforms" the group dismissed Conte's "military and predatory exercise of power" as "outdated". Conte, 74, has ruled the West African nation with an iron fist since 1984. In the past months he has seen both a mutiny by soldiers and police protests which left more than six people dead and dozens wounded, according to official figures. "The mutiny by soldiers, unrest within the national police and strike action by customs officials are symptoms of the disintegration of the state and its incapacity to provide security," the ICG warned. "If Conte and (Prime Minister Tidiane) Souare cannot find a solution to the continued security sector unrest, the risk of a military coup, with its possible violence and ethnic divisions, cannot be ruled out," it added. According to the think tank the idea was being floated in unspecified circles of a "good military coup" that would mean the end to Conte's rule and hopefully a transition to democracy under progressive military rulers. However, the ICG warned that the idea was dangerous and called for a "gradual political transition". A priority in the transition should be "the organisation of legislative elections in December 2008" in the presence of West African and international observers, the ICG said. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Tsvangirai calls for 'military force' in Zimbabwe London (AFP) June 25, 2008 Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called for world leaders to back their tough rhetoric with "military force" in his country, in a comment piece published Wednesday. |
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