Ho! Ho! Ho! Goh Choke Dong surrendered to Coup SAF!

[think_lees]

http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?t=13039

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081225/tts-guinea-politics-coup-c1b2fc3.html

AFP - 43 minutes ago

CONAKRY (AFP) - - Guinea's prime minister turned himself in Thursday along with several members of his government after an order to so from a military junta that has seized control of the west African nation.
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Moussa Dadis Camara , an army captain in his forties, appeared to be tightening his grip on the mineral-rich nation following the death of longtime Lansana Conte.

Conte had ruled with an iron fist since 1984 and within hours of his passing late Monday at the age of 74, a group of soldiers took control of the airwaves and claimed to have seized power.

"I am convinced, reassured that I am the president of the republic, the head of the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD)," Camara said at his first press conference late Wednesday.

Later, in a statement read on radio and state television the CNDD junta said: "All army officers and all former members of the government are asked to go to camp Alpha Yaya Diallo in the next 24 hours."

An AFP correspondent witnessed Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare arriving at the camp -- Guinea's main military base by the international airport outside Conakry -- at around midday Thursday along with several government ministers.

Camara had warned that if all top military brass and government members do not turn themselves in by the end of Thursday, "a sweep of the entire national territory will be organised."

The clampdown came amid growing international condemnation of the coup with the African Union warning of "stern measures" if the military ignored calls to allow a democratic transition of power.

The United States threatened to suspend its aid, some 15 million dollars (10.6 million euros) this year, if coup leaders did not take steps to return civilian rule.

"One of the things we want to see immediately is a restoration of a civilian democratic rule," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

Camara plans to lead a 32-member interim administration, made up of 26 military officers and six civilians, and has ruled out any new elections until December 2010.

In a show of force, Camara paraded through the capital on Wednesday with hundreds of soldiers before announcing he was the new "president of the republic".

A crowd of thousands of coup supporters thronged the streets of Conakry, surrounding the presidential palace and the government ministries, before dispersing peacefully.

Among them were many young people from the suburbs of the capital, disaffected after years of dictatorial rule.

"We no longer want the Conte system in Guinea. And if you are cutting down a tree, you must tear out all its roots," said Edouard, a 22-year-old student.

A curfew called by Guinea's new military leaders has been delayed until Friday "to allow Christians to celebrate a peaceful Christmas holiday," according to a statement read on national radio.

Friday is also the day when Conte's funeral is to be held in his home village, according to family sources.

Leader since 1984 when he ousted Guinea's first president Ahmed Sekou Toure, Conte was a chain smoker who suffered from chronic diabetes and was at one time diagnosed with leukemia.

He had relied on the army along with his clan to bolster his authority, but in recent years social tension and criticism of Conte's regime had become increasingly open.

Guinea, a small nation of about 10 million people, is the world's leading exporter of bauxite, an ore from which aluminium is produced.

 

[think_lees]

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081223/...67osjoqRSs0NUE

Troops head toward Guinea presidential compound

By ABOU BAKR and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Writers Abou Bakr And Rukmini Callimachi, Associated Press Writers – 22 mins ago

Guinea's long-time military leader Conte dies AFP/File – File photo of the President of Guinea, Lansana Conte. Conte, who ruled the West African nation with an …

* Military-led group announces coup in Guinea Slideshow: Military-led group announces coup in Guinea

CONAKRY, Guinea – A military-led group seized control of the airwaves in Guinea and declared a coup Tuesday after the death of the mineral-rich West African country's longtime dictator, but the prime minister insisted he remained in charge.

An Associated Press reporter saw three tanks and dozens of armed soldiers heading toward the office of the prime minister inside the country's presidential compound.

The troops' allegiance was not immediately apparent. But they appeared less than an hour after Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare announced in a state broadcast that he was inside his office and that his government had not been dissolved.

Earlier Tuesday, a group calling itself the National Council for Democracy began announcing its takeover on state-run radio and TV, just hours after longtime dictator Lansana Conte's death was made public.

"The government is dissolved. The institutions of the republic are dissolved. ... From this moment on, the council is taking charge of the destiny of the Guinean people," said the coup leader, who identified himself as Capt. Moussa Camara.

The coup came just hours after the death of Conte, who was one of the last members of a dwindling group of so-called "African Big Men" who came to power by the gun and resisted the democratic tide sweeping the continent.

Conte was believed to be in his 70s but the government never disclosed his birth date. He was only Guinea's second president since it gained independence from France a half-century ago.

Guinea boasts half the world's known reserves of bauxite, the ore used to produce aluminum, and it has deposits of gold, diamonds and iron ore. Analysts say the nation, at the confluence of several West African rivers, could generate enough electricity to power the region.

But Guinea's economy has rapidly deteriorated and its 10 million people have remained among the poorest in the world. A food exporter at independence, Guinea turned to importing food as it became more impoverished, crippled by corruption, inflation and high unemployment.

Conte's unpopularity was reflected in revolts by disgruntled soldiers and at least two attempts to oust him.

In 1984, Conte took power in a military coup after the death of his predecessor. As a post-Cold War democracy wave swept the continent, he formed a political party and won elections in 1993. He was re-elected in 1998 and 2003, but all the elections were viewed as fraudulent and rejected by Guinea's beleaguered opposition.

During the last election, rumors of his failing health were already circulating. He was reportedly so ill that he did not even get out of the car to cast his ballot. That winter, he went on TV to put a stop to the rumors of his death.

"Everybody dies," he told the nation. "Even the Prophet died. I will die when Allah wants me to."

A similar wave of rumors began gathering force two weeks ago, when Conte failed to make his usual televised appearance on the occasion of a major Muslim holiday. The prime minister and others hurried to make appearances in his place, but people were on edge and numerous businesses shuttered their doors in anticipation of unrest.

Last week, the editor of a local paper was arrested after publishing a picture of the frail leader struggling to stand up. The newspaper was ordered to print a photograph of Conte, showing him in good health.

___

Associated Press Writer Maseco Conde contributed to this report from Conakry, Guinea. AP writer Rukmini Callimachi contributed to the report from Dakar, Senegal.
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[theblackhole]

please don't anyhow entitle your title threads - damned misleading.