Daily News Article - February 5, 2009
1. a) What is the capital of Guinea?
b) List the countries that border Guinea.
c) What is the population of Guinea? (What is the population of the U.S.?)
2. Identify the following people mentioned in the article:
-Moussa Camara
-Ahmed Sekou Toure
-Lansana Conte
-Sidya Toure
-Charles de Gaulle
-Abubacar Somare
3. How did the U.S., Europe, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union react to December's military coup in Guinea?
4. Why did the people of Guinea support the coup, according to Chris Fomunyoh of the National Democratic Institute?
5. Why did the African Union immediately condemn the military takeover in Guinea?
6. On-going: Pay attention to stories in the news about Guinea to see if Capt. Camara carries through on his promise to hold democratic elections soon.
Guinea has had a history of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana Conte came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou Toure. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Conte (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls were marred by irregularities. History repeated itself in December 2008 when following President Conte's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara led a military coup, seizing power and suspending the constitution as well as political and union activity. Guinea has maintained some semblance of internal stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, however, Guinea's own vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased. Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006, and a third nationwide strike in early 2007.