Africa the cursed continent, has once again sprout up another petty blood-thirsty dictator? A man who would spill the blood of so many of the people of Guinea he swore to protect, without bating an eyelid? As usual, he came heralded into Conakry as the long awaited and expected messiah, only to now morph into a blood-sucking vampire, feasting on the blood of the innocent citizens of the country? 
On Monday, the thugs and goons of Moussa Dadis Camara in uniforms, and using weapons bought with Guinean tax-payers' money, murdered 158 innocent Guinean citizens in cold blood! Their offense, what other civilized peoples of the world take for granted - peaceful assembly and a pro real-democracy rally? 
In the marauding government's usual contriving, lying manner, Guinea's Interior Ministry claimed that "only" 4 out of the 57 dead were actually killed by their own government-thugs' bullets; while the rest of the 53 died as result of trampling and asphyxiation? Icheoku says, whether by bullet or asphyxiation or trampling, no Guinean ought to have died just for protesting; it should not have happened in the first place but for the junta of Conakry, who went out of his way to forcibly silence peaceful democracy-rally organised by the opposition? 
It will be recalled that Moussa Dadis Camara is the third dictator to preside over Guinea since independence! He forcibly succeeded President Lansana Conte, who died in office after a 25 year dictatorship, last December 22, 2008. Conte had himself succeeded Ahmed Sékou Touré who died in 1984, having ruled himself since Guinea's independence from France in 1958! As is often with his ilks, Camara came to power on a populist yearning, but has since shed his coat of humanity and in its' place, adorned his true color's coat of a menacing prowler - another infantile African mean dictator!
Now there is tension in the land as a result of his rumoured lack of desire to get off the stage in Conakry; insinuating that he will run in presidential elections scheduled for January 31, 2009? Not helping matters at all, Camara who initially debunked the rumour, has recently said "he has the right to run if he so chooses." Icheoku says, do you smell any rat here? The usual double-speak of an emerging dictator, who is deftly plotting and consolidating his soon to be 'vice-hold' on the people of Guinea? It is only through strong-arming the people of Guinea will this man ever preside over Guinea peacefully, as he has murdered sleep and cannot sleep any more. In the words of one Guinea man-on-the-street, "Dadis Camara's political career, if he had any ambition, is gone. He has made an own goal; the killing of all these innocent protesters can only mean doom for his political ambition." Icheoku says, what a summation of a people who are fed up with the muzzle of dictatorship, and now want to be free!
It would appear that the dictator has had it up to his neck with the restive people of Guinea, being on edge, acted out to bare his fangs? Late last month, Camara's policemen fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration in the capital Conakry; again, just last Thursday tens of thousands of residents in a town north of Conakry took to the streets but with no serious reprisals from Camara's goon-bahs; but unfortunately, the Monday protesters miscalculated as they ended up not being as lucky; their attempt to voice out their dissent was met with ferocious clamp-down by Moussa Dadis Camara's armed thugs, resulting in the massacre of 158 Guineans! Icheoku says, what a "Bloody Monday in Conakry!"
Coincidentally, the strong-man of Guinea has rather strange likeliness to so many erstwhile Nigerian dictators; some of who have been incontrovertibly compared to him? Like the late Nigerian henchman, midget Sani Abacha, Moussa Dadis Camara is nocturnal; he is a night-owl and being a vampire, hates the sunlight! He also wears very dark sun-shades similar to Abacha's trade-mark goggles; should he venture out before sunset! Like Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Moussa Dadis Camara is vainglorious, and has several very expensive and commissioned life-size portraits of himself, adorning virtually everywhere in his "presidential" palace? Finally, like Olusegun Obasanjo, Moussa Dadis Camara is not particularly pleasant to behold, he is rather very ugly and is also alleged human he-goat! What coincidental traits, he shares with three Nigerian dictators.
Icheoku says, like every other African country suffering from the curse of bad and inept leadership, Guinea is not spared. Since gaining independence from France in 1950, it has been pillaged by its ruling elite which props the juntas, ruthlessly suppressing the people ever since. Guinea's 10 million citizens are among the world's poorest people, despite the abundance of mineral resources underneath their soil, including diamonds, gold, iron and half the world's reserves of base-aluminum. Icheoku asks, what is it, how can it be explained or possibly reconciled; two conflicting positions that in great abundance, many are still suffering; but to blame it on the curse of Africa! As Guinea mourns her 158 dead, killed by her own government armed-thugs in uniform, and under the watchful eye of her Army Captain Mousssa Dadis Camara, Icheoku says, take heart, we share in your sorrows!
Guinea bans mass gatherings after stadium bloodbath
ReplyDeleteGuinea on Wednesday banned "subversive" gatherings as it announced two days of national mourning after troops killed at least 157 people in a brutal crackdown on an opposition rally, rights activists said.
The country's military ruler said he was sorry for the violence, but a human rights group alleged junta soldiers killed three more people outside the capital Conakry Tuesday, a day after the crackdown, and kidnapped victims of the crackdown from hospitals.
"I declare a national mourning on Wednesday and Thursday," junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara said on television.
"Any mass gatherings which are of a subversive nature are banned," he added.
Camara urged Christian and Muslim priests, political and civic leaders and journalists to "abstain from acts that disrupt public order."
He also asked for national prayers to be held on Friday and Sunday in memory of the dead.
The United Nations, African Union and European Union, the United States and Canada all expressed alarm over the killings, which took place Monday at a stadium where tens of thousands of people attended a rally against Camara, who took power in December last year. Facts: Guinea
Camara on Tuesday made his first appearance in public since the crackdown, visiting two hospitals in Conakry to meet with the wounded, witnesses said. Reax: France
"It's unfortunate, it's dramatic," Camara told French radio station RFI. "Very frankly speaking, I'm very sorry, very sorry."
He said "this is the first time such a thing has happened in Guinea," and accused opposition leaders of fomenting unrest by "distributing money to the youth to incite them to revolt."
The opposition has accused junta forces of collecting bodies in a bid to hide "the scale of the massacre" which the Guinea rights group said left at least 157 dead and 1,253 wounded.
"The exactions by soldiers are continuing ... even if there is nobody on the streets, they are firing in the air and looting shops," a resident said.
Sydia Toure, one of two former prime ministers injured at the protest, told AFP that the shootings were "a deliberate attempt" to eliminate the opposition.
Mamadi Kaba, head of the Guinean branch of the African Encounter for the Defence of Human Rights (RADDHO), said the rapes of women began in the Conakry stadium.
"The military raped women" at the stadium and later at army barracks, police posts and other parts of Conakry, Kaba said, adding that there were reports of new rape attacks by soldiers on Tuesday.
Opposition activist Mouctar Diallo said he saw soldiers putting their rifles into the vaginas of naked women. "I saw this myself," he told RFI.
"They were raping women publicly," Diallo added. "Soldiers were shooting everywhere and I saw people fall."
A Red Cross source said military commanders ordered all bodies at the stadium taken to the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, the junta headquarters, rather than to morgues.
Witnesses and rights group said the military was massively deployed throughout the capital on Tuesday and more violent actions by soldiers were reported.
"The bad behaviour continues in the suburbs, carried out by the military. Even if there's nobody on the street, they shoot in the air, loot shops and beat people up," Kaba said.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon slammed the "excessive use of force" and said he was "shocked by the loss of life, the high number of people injured and the destruction of property."
The protesters had gathered in the stadium to oppose any bid by the junta leader to run for president in an election due in January. Camara also faces strong international pressure to step down.
Camara took over the west African nation after leading a bloodless coup within hours of the death of Guinea's strongman leader Lansana Conte, who had ruled the west African country since 1984.
France 'suspects Guinea leader'
ReplyDeleteMr Kouchner said many of the soldiers responsible had been "red berets"
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has accused Guinea's military leader of possibly ordering the shooting of protesters last week.
Mr Kouchner said Capt Moussa Dadis Camara was "strongly suspected... to have participated in the decision" to launch the bloody crackdown in Conakry.
Human rights groups say 157 people were killed in the incident, while the government puts the figure at only 57.
Earlier, Capt Camara said Guinea was "not a district of France".
On Sunday, Mr Kouchner had said France, Guinea's former colonial ruler, could no longer work with the captain and called for the international community to intervene.
'Red berets'
Mr Kouchner's latest comments on Capt Camara's government came after he was asked about the crackdown by the French parliament's foreign affairs committee.
"The least we can say is that we strongly suspect the interim president to have... taken part in the decision," he said.
CAPT MOUSSA DADIS CAMARA
Seized power in December 2008 as a little known army captain
Promised democracy, but now shows signs of holding on to power
Increasingly erratic behaviour and public humiliation of officials
African view: Plus ca change
Guinea's erratic military ruler
In pictures: Guinea mourns victims
Human rights groups and witnesses say Guinean soldiers fired on an unarmed crowd that gathered inside a stadium in Conakry to protest against the government. They also say many women demonstrators were raped.
Capt Camara, who came to power in a military coup last year, insists he was not responsible for his troops' actions.
"Was Captain Dadis responsible or not for this savage intervention by the Guinean army in the stadium where the opposition was protesting?" Mr Kouchner asked.
"It's hard to say, because obviously he and everyone else denies it.
"Nevertheless, it was red berets, the forces that surround the leader of the coup d'etat," he said, noting that the captain still lived "in the military camp and not in the presidential palace".
Mr Kouchner said many of the soldiers responsible were "Foresters" - residents of the Guinee Forestiere region of south-eastern Guinea - and that he had heard they were "recently reinforced by Liberian troops, former mercenaries".
Last week, an opposition leader said some of the troops had been former members of the Liberian paramilitary group, the United Liberation Movement. Liberia is investigating the allegation.
The French foreign minister's comments came amid a wave of international condemnation about the crackdown.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier said Washington was appalled and outraged by the violence and intended "to pursue appropriate actions" against Guinea's military rulers.
The opposition coalition in Guinea meanwhile said it would not participate in talks to resolve the political crisis unless Capt Camara stepped down. He has indicated that he may run in January's elections, having initially ruled himself out.