Ho Ho Ho! Ho Ho Ho!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081223/ap_on_re_af/af_guinea_coup;_ylt=App8yUL8n2vbJQ67osjoqRSs0NUE
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.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081223/ap_on_re_af/af_guinea_coup;_ylt=App8yUL8n2vbJQ67osjoqRSs0NUE
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.
