Tag Archives: Moussa Daddis Camara

Broken news: Guinea and the weapons question

8th
Dec. × ’09
By Johnny

A friend in Liberia mentioned something yesterday. Guinea has the second-largest ammo dump in West Africa. It also has a president who took a bullet in the head earlier this week and is reportedly unable to speak now. Camara took power less than a year ago. But, it appears, his grip on the presidency was [...]

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Broken news: Everybody run! Caucasian mercenaries in Guinea!

19th
Nov. × ’09
By Johnny

Take a deep breath. Is this that controversial? Allegedly Capt. Camara’s government has retained the services of “mercenaries”–one article identifies Dubai-based Omega Strategic Services as the provider–to train a “militia” outside the capital. There’s a bit of precedent here. Charles Taylor did this, somewhat scandalously, when he hired Fred Rindle to train the Anti-Terrorist Unit [...]

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Guinea: Countdown to civil war?

24th
Oct. × ’09
By Johnny

Not in the business of predictions, but this piece is disconcerting–twelve assassinations since late September. A police source quoted in the article referred to is as “settling scores.” The more these scores grow, the more they will require to settle. Then there’s this passage: Separately, Guinean opposition leaders on Friday rejected an offer of mediation [...]

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Guinea: Thinking Out of the Bauxite

14th
Oct. × ’09
By Johnny

The junta government of Moussa Dadis Camara waved a big paycheck in front of the international community yesterday–a potential $9 billion payday from a Chinese company for the resource rich West African nation. At a moment when Western powers–and to a certain extent–Guinea’s neighbors would like to isolate the new government, the Chinese investment complicates [...]

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Second Acts: Liberian Mercenaries in Guinea

10th
Oct. × ’09
By Johnny

Laurence Boutreaux of Agence-France Presse authored a provocative piece alleging direct involvement of Liberian rebels in Guinea. Not surprising, but the story leaves a lot unsaid. (Perhaps because to explain any further requires a healthy cup of the Alphabet Soup of Liberian civil war factions…but here goes.) Relying on one anonymous military source and two [...]

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Guinea: Another ‘Shady’ Coup in West Africa

7th
Oct. × ’09
By Johnny

Early last June, the guy driving me around Monrovia asked me whether I was wearing “Rays Bans.” I was. He mentioned that back in the 1980′s, when Liberia started coming apart, Rays Bans were the eye wear of choice in revolutionary circles. Apparently, just like in Brooklyn, 80′s fashion is having another moment in West [...]

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