About Us | Submit an Ad/Contact Us | Subscribe | Commercial Printing
Cloudy 16°5 Day Forecast
Home : News : Local News : Politics
AP: Guinea Cabinet Ministers Resign Over Bloody Rally
10/16/2009
email this storyEmail to a friendpost a commentPost a Commentprinter friendlyPrinter-friendly
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) - Two Cabinet ministers in Guinea resigned and France urged its citizens to leave the former French colony as armed attacks are increasing in the aftermath of a bloody rally last month where soldiers fired on pro-democracy demonstrators.

Information Minister Justin Morel Jr., and Labor Minister Alpha Diallo said they cannot serve a government responsible for such violence.

A peaceful pro-democracy rally in the West African country on Sept. 28 took a violent turn when presidential guard troops opened fire on tens of thousands of demonstrators. A Guinean human rights group says 157 people were killed. The government put the death toll at 57.

Morel resigned late Thursday citing moral reasons and Diallo on Wednesday, citing religious convictions.

"My conscience has remained tormented, my heart disturbed, and my sense of reasoning has told me that I no longer have any reason to continue to head this ministry and neither do I have the moral force to be the spokesman of the government after these horrible killings," Morel said in his resignation letter to military leader Capt. Moussa "Dadis" Camara.

The resignations follow that of Agriculture Minister Abdulrahmane Sano on Monday. Sano cited the protest as the reason for his resignation.

The French government has advised its citizens to leave Guinea because of attacks by gunmen against people leaving Conakry's airport.

In Conakry and the suburbs, there has been "an increase in the number of armed attacks," according to a travel warning on the French Foreign Ministry Web site. "Criminals are shadowing people as they leave the airport and are attacking them as they enter their homes so they can go inside and steal."

There are about 2,500 French nationals in Guinea, according to the ministry.

The French Foreign Ministry says on its Web site "there is no prospect of improvement in the short term."

"We unfortunately no longer know who can assure security" in Guinea, French Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet said on France-24 television.

Asked if France expects another coup or civil war, he said, "Everything is possible."

The International Criminal Court announced Thursday a preliminary investigation into last month's violence. The violence has drawn widespread condemnation, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling for Camara to apologize and step down.

On Thursday, the African Union called on Camara to confirm by Saturday that he would not run in the country's January elections. The group condemned the killings and called for the release of demonstrators who were detained.

Camara seized power hours after longtime dictator Lansana Conte died last December. He initially said he would not run in elections scheduled for January, but recently indicated that he may have changed his mind. After the deadly protest, he banned all gatherings and demonstrations.

ECOWAS, a regional bloc of African states, will meet in Abuja, Nigeria on Saturday to discuss Guinea.


©Washington Missouri 2010

Submit your comment now
Comment Title:
Submit your comments on the article in the space below:
Your Name:
Your City & State:  
Your Email Address: (required)
What's This?
In order to verify you are not a spam-bot you will need to use the image above.
The addition of the flashing numbers above =
By submitting your comment, you acknowledge that you have read and accept the Terms and Conditions of this site.

email this storyEmail to a friendpost a commentPost a Commentprinter friendlyPrinter-friendlyTop

Today's Most Read
Death Notices for Monday, Feb. 8 (702)
Deputy Sniffs Out Meth Lab (627)
UPDATE: Man Suffers Burns in Apartment Fire (442)
Charges Filed on Burglary Suspects (402)
Charges Won't Be Filed on Suspected Terrorist Turned In by St. Clair Couple (348)
 
Site Map

Local News
Home
Top Stories
Washington
Union
St. Clair
Pacific
Warren County Record

More News
Sports
Business
Death News, Obituaries
Legal Notices
My Mo Youth
Senior LifeTimes
Franklin County Hall of Honor

Photo Galleries
News
Sports
Artistic
Photos by You

Features, People
Feature Stories
Weddings, Births, Engagements
Missourian In Education

Opinion
Editorials
Letters to the Editor
Online Extras
Email Updates
This Week's Events
Links to Community Web Sites
Local Church Directory
Weather
Fun and Games

Advertising
Classifieds
Yellow Pages
Shop Our Ads
Classified Line Ad Submissions
Garage Sale Ad Submissions

About Us
Who We Are
How to Advertise
Subscription Information
Missourian Vendors
Commercial Printing
Contact Us


For general questions about the website, write to webmaster@emissourian.com
Copyright © 2008 The Missourian Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 1995 - 2010 www.emissourian.com All Rights Reserved.