Monday - December 22, 2008

Sad News

CONAKRY, Guinea – Guinea President Lansana Conte, who has ruled the African nation with an iron hand since seizing power in a coup nearly a quarter century ago, has died following a lengthy illness, the National Assembly president said Tuesday.

Aboubacar Sompare, flanked by the country’s prime minister and the head of the army, said on state-run television 2 a.m. that Conte died Monday evening. He was believed to be in his 70s but the government has never disclosed his birth date.

“I have the heavy duty of informing the people of Guinea of the death of Gen. Lansana Conte following a long illness,” said Sompare. He did not provide a specific cause of death or elaborate on the type of illness.

Sompare said that for many years Conte “hid his physical suffering in order to give happiness to Guinea.”

According to the Constitution, the head of the national assembly becomes president in the case of the death of the head of state. But transfers of power have rarely been smooth in Guinea, which has been crippled by corruption and rocked by multiple coups.

Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare called on the army to secure the nation’s borders, while Sompare directed the country’s courts to apply the law.

The two announcements, coupled by the presence of the head of the army, appeared to be an effort to signal that the government intended a peaceful transition.

The most serious recent challenge to Conte’s rule came two years ago as demonstrators called for him to step down and Guinea descended into chaos.

Conte responded by declaring martial law and sent tanks into the capital streets. Security forces killed dozens of demonstrators.

Now, this news makes me feel really sad. Because a) I’ve never heard of this idiot, and b) I’m not even sure where the hell Guinea is. Africa? Somewhere on the Equator I think, because the phrase “Equatorial Guinea” seems familiar.  All I really know about Guinea is that it’s either 1) some old word for some kind of coin, 2) some sort of research critter, ie a Guinea Pig, which also make nice disposable pets for children (we probably had a dozen. You bring them home, feed them a bit of lettuce, they go “wheep wheep wheep!” in their little box full of cedar shavings, they poop constantly, then they get tumors and die. I’m pretty sure most didn’t make it a month. One might have lasted a year.), 3) it’s also some kind of fowl, something like a chicken, 4) It’s a derogatory name for Italians. I have no idea why, as they don’t come from there at all.

Ok, Wikipedia tells me that Guinea is indeed on the equator in western Africa. The lower part of the upper corner that looks like an elephant’s ear. You know, the area where the locals kill each other even more than they do in the rest of the continent. 10 million people live there, average annual income is about $400. Geez. They had one train, but it broke. Along with Jamaica, this is where aluminum comes from. Even though it’s a muslim country, everybody speaks fwench. Oh joy. Their most famous citizen, aside from a couple soccer players, was Amadou Diallo, the guy who managed to get shot 41 times by the NYC cops because they couldn’t tell a pistol from a wallet in the darkness.

Ok, so one less dictator. Whoo hoo! Expect a civil war to break out there shortly, followed by genocidal mayhem. Just because it’s africa. I just about guarantee it.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/22/2008 at 11:29 PM   
Filed Under: • Africa •  
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