RIP Conte

This morning at 1am it was announced that the President of Guinea (who in practice has been more of a dictator than anything else), Lansana Conte, has died. Word spread throughout Guinea like wildfire. Apparently someone knocked on my family’s door at 2am with the news, but I did not hear it.

This morning Ousmane (training manager and acting safety and security officer) called everyone to the Bureau to discuss the situation. As of then, everything was still normal, save some roadblocks in and out of Conakry, the capitol, which Peace Corps personnel were able to get through eventually, but not without trouble.

This means our Christmas trip back to Conakry is in all likelihood canceled, though we will know for sure in the morning.

It was a tense day among the PCTs as we gathered around radios and continually asked Ousmane for updates. At some point in the morning, some military people got on the radio and said that they had taken over the government and that the Constitution was now suspended. A couple of hours later, the Prime Minister got on the radio and said that wasn’t true and that elections will take place in 2 months, which no one believes will happen (at least not a free, fair election), as Guinea does not have accurate voter registration or the infrastructure to actually carry out a free, fair election.

Most of the day went on as planned, but the Incident Reporting session ended up being taken over by questions about the future of the country, our trip to Conakry, and phone calls to all of our parents to let them know the situation, as the news in the US is apparently saying there has been a coup d’etat, which as of now, 9:30pm, is not the case. However, tonight will really tell the tale. If the military storms the government buildings in Conakry, which are located on a peninsula, they could take over and no one knows what will happen. According to the Constitution, the Speaker of the Assembly is now in power, so if the military actually does take over, THEN it will be a coup.

Most of the PCT families have been extra cautious today. Even my family told me I could only go to the Bureau this evening and made sure I was walking with friends, which they have never done before. However, I did end up going to Chey Vicky, as that is where Julie was going and I was waiting for a call from my mom on her phone (which never came).

A little before 9, Ousmane called Julie’s phone and I answered since I was holding the phone waiting for the call. Ousmane said to tell everyone at Chey Vicky to go home immediately and finish their beer in their rooms because “it isn’t safe.” Everyone immediately got up and we made sure everyone had someone to accompany them home and we took off.

Some of us went to the Bureau to ask Ousmane what had happened and he said that 32 names had been read out over the radio as people who want to overthrow the government, many of them military. He did not know how the military in Forecariah would react so he wanted everyone home by 9 so he knew where we were and were not out on the streets.

It is kind of frightening that this is happening, but I think eventually it will be good for Guinea to have the opportunity for new leadership (Conte had been in power for, like, over 20 years – 24 to be exact). The question is will it happen peacefully or not. Considering the volatile nature of the country as of late (Peace Corps was evacuated in 2007 due to rioting and the unavailability of gasoline), it is a real possibility there could be violence.

Here in Forecariah, we are only 50k from Sierra Leone and Ousmane had requested all of our passports in case we need to make a run for the border. Many of us have made “go bags” to prepare for this. Mine has some clothes, soap, toothpaste, moleskin, a sleeping bag, baby wipes, duct tape, batteries, my shortwave radio, all of my money and my medical kit in it. If I do have to use it, I will also grab my Leatherman, which is currently in my day bag, and my headlamp.

Anyway, the morning will bring more news, unless there is a pounding on the door in the middle of the night telling me to get my stuff and run (which is highly unlikely).