Stories written by Saliou Samb

POLITICS-GUINEA: Women Amongst Also-Rans in Presidential Elections

Celou Dalein Diallo gained a significant advantage over Alpha Condé, his main rival for the Guinean presidency, when a third candidate said he would back Diallo in a second round of voting in August. But what has become of women candidates for high political office in this West African country?

Billboard of Captain Camara: the agreement to transition to civilian rule will leave him on the sidelines. Credit:  Nancy Palus/IRIN

GUINEA: Transition Plan Agreed

General Sékouba Konaté, head of Guinea's military junta since the assassination attempt on Captain Moussa Dadis Camara in December has returned from a week of meetings in Burkina Faso bearing a blueprint for a return Guinea to democratic rule and constitutional order.

POLITICS-GUINEA: Uncertainty Prevails Under Increasingly Isolated Junta

Under growing pressure ten days after a violent crackdown, killed 157 civilians, Guinean junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara has announced an independent committee of inquiry into the deaths.

POLITICS-GUINEA: Captain Named President, Promises Elections in 2010

Just under 48 hours after the death of Guinean president, Lansana Conté on Dec. 22, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has been named Guinea's new head of state by the National Council for Democracy and Development, known by its French acronym, CNDD.

Guinea's maverick politician Kaba Rougui Barry. Credit:  Saliou Samb/IPS

POLITICS-GUINEA: Marching to the Beat of Her Own Drum

Surprises have been a common occurrence in the all-but-common political career that made Kaba Rougui Barry the first female mayor in Guinea since political parties were legalised in 1990.

Women like this trainee doctor are pushing against entrenched male attitudes blocking women from powerful positions. Credit:  Nicholas Reader/IRIN

POLITICS-GUINEA: "Sheep Who Vote?" Women Say No

Long absent from the top posts in the civil service and under-represented in political parties, Guinean women are calling for changes during legislative elections planned for December.

RIGHTS-GUINEA: “We Can Forgive, But We Have To Know The Truth”

Kadiatou Diallo Sylla shares a shack with her family in Bambeto, a Conakry suburb. She is haunted by memories of her 14-year-old son, an only child: he was killed by the military during anti-government demonstrations in January 2007.

ENVIRONMENT-WEST AFRICA: The Arteries of the Niger River Clogged

The Niger river snakes through nine countries in West Africa before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. It is an epic 4,200 kilometres in length, provides sustenance to millions of people - and has trouble brewing at its source.

DEATH PENALTY: Will It Be Reactivated in Guinea – Again?

Behind bars, away from intrusive stares, the prisoners most recently sentenced to death in Guinea wait to hear their fate. The last time executions were carried out in this West African country was in 2001.

HEALTH-GUINEA: Mice Away, Virus at Bay

Scientists who discovered a new variant of the hantavirus, in Guinea, have advised that measures be taken to avoid its possible transmission to humans. The virus is carried by a type of mouse, Hylomyscus simus, which is found in forested areas of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

ECONOMY-GUINEA: Micro-Finance, Macro Interest Rates

Since being introduced in Guinea in 1989, micro- credit organisations have made their mark. Take the case of Batouly Diallo.

POPULATION-GUINEA: Aid for War-Ravaged Areas Elusive

Madeleine Gomou, a nurse in the village of Konia-Aviation, finds it all but impossible to do her job.

ECONOMY-GUINEA: Foreign Firms Scramble for Iron, Bauxite

Environmentalists have reacted with guarded caution to announcements of new plans to mine more bauxite and iron in Guinea. The plans were released after conclusion of the International Forum on the Mining Sector (FISM) held in this West African country last month.

/CORRECTION*/HEALTH-GUINEA: Killing AIDS Patients With Kindness

The debate on how best to provide anti-retroviral medication to HIV-positive citizens has taxed the ingenuity of many an African government - not least that of Guinea. However, the administration of this country now appears to be making citizens the victim of its own good intentions.

RIGHTS-GUINEA: Trauma of War Resurfaces, Often among Women Refugees

Under a makeshift tent in the Laine refugee camp in southern Guinea, Charlesetta Kollie, a Liberian refugee, buckles down to teach dressmaking to a new group of apprentices.

RIGHTS-GUINEA: Women Fight to Overcome Cultural Barriers

Idiatou Balde, in her late 30s, exhibits and sells indigo-tinted fabrics in an up market in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

RELIGION-GUINEA: Islamic Fundamentalism Makes In-roads

Aissatou Bah, 17, used to dress in the latest fashions and frequent trendy nightclubs in the capital Conakry just like any other girl of her age.

REFUGEES-GUINEA: No Place Like Home

Sheltered only by tents in the sweltering heat, Maika Kourouma describes life in Laine Refugee Camp as a nightmare.

RIGHTS: Mass Graves Found in Guinea

"Large mass graves, containing hundreds of bodies, have been found at the foot of Mount Gangan in Kindia," says Mandjou Diallo, president of the Guinean Organisation for Human Rights, known by its French acronym, OGDH.

Diallo says a delegation recently travelled to Kindia - 216 km east of Conakry, Guinea's capital - accompanied by members of the OGDH and did, indeed, "see mass graves with our own eyes. Hundreds of people, both military and civilian, had been buried there. They were probably executed during the reign of the late President Ahmed Sekou Toure, but some of them may have been killed under the present regime."


RIGHTS: Mass Graves Found in Guinea

‘'Large-mass graves, containing hundreds of bodies, have been found at the foot of Mount Gangan in Kindia,'' says Mandjou Diallo, president of the Guinean Organisation for Human Rights, which is known by its French acronym, OGDH.

RIGHTS: Mass Graves Found in Guinea

‘'Large-mass graves, containing hundreds of bodies, have been found at the foot of Mount Gangan in Kindia," says Mandjou Diallo, president of the Guinean Organisation for Human Rights, which is known by its French acronym, OGDH.

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