The legacy of late General Conte: What does the future hold for Guinea after 24 years of dictatorship?

Hailed as the untouchable and most fearful man in Guinea Conakry, the late President Lasana Conte finally met his death after struggling with diabetes for over a decade. His death came at a time when Guinean politics has been marred by total discontentment and dissatisfaction across political horizons of the battered West African state. Throughout his reign, Conte had maintained an iron grip on power by successfully muzzling political opponents with imprisonment and some times brute force to quench opposition demonstrators. Over the years, hundreds of opposition and civil society activities were mercilessly grilled through extra-judicial executions and torture in the hands of loyal security forces.

In an April 2007 report titled Dying for Change: Brutality and Repression by Guinean Security Forces in Response to a Nationwide Strike, Human Rights Watch reported that:

In January and February 2007, Guinean citizens weathered one of the most violent storms in their post-independence history when government security forces brutally repressed a nationwide strike organized by Guinea’s most prominent trade unions to protest corruption, bad governance, and deteriorating economic conditions. According to the government’s own figures, the brutal crackdown resulted in at least 129 dead and over 1700 wounded, hundreds of them by gun shots. Throughout the strike, security forces in Guinea engaged in widespread violations of some of the most basic civil and political rights of their fellow citizens, including the right to life, security and liberty of persons as well as the freedom of expression , association and assembly.

A few hours following his death a military statement announced on state radio suspended the Constitution, dissolved the government and signaled the formation of a national consultative council, according to international media outlets.

Such bold moves to replace the late President before laying him to rest raises some questions: What does the future hold for the West African nation after 24 years of authoritarianism? what is the legacy of the one time most powerful and fearful man in Guinea?

It could be recalled that President Lasana Conte came to power in 1984 after seizing power shortly following the death of Guinea’s first Post Independence President Sekou Toure. Following his inception to the saddles of power, the country has since been marred by instability, institutional corruption and nepotism, and massive human rights abuses that successfully thwarted the country from its democratization path, to emboldening authoritarianism and dictatorial rule.

The legacy of president Conteh

President Conte’s legacy would no doubt be best categorized as one of deepening divisions between an elite group of citizens, a majority poor and middle class that may likely rise up to challenge any continuation of the internationally recognized bifurcated dictatorial system. His legacy will continue to hunt generations of Guineans as a result of widespread human rights abuses such as extra-judiciary killings, torture, disappearances and systematic taunting and imprisonment of political opponents.

As one of the richest resource country in Africa, Guinea’s bauxite, gold and diamond wealth has only reduced the majority of its population to some of Africa’s poorest. According to a United Nations Human Development Index Report, a proportion of Guinea’s national population is estimated to be living below the international poverty line with incomes less than $2 per day.

Although his regime has provided some educational opportunities to many young Guineans, several analysts contend that the majority of young people awarded such opportunities were from Conte’s ethnic Susu. So these opportunities did not transcend across ethnic lines. It was mainly Conte’s Susu tribe and children of the elite that were most favored, according to analysts and pundits.

With millions of dollars in mineral wealth and foreign aid, Guinea’s rural hospitals and trans-national roads remain to be some of Africa’s worst infrastructural realities. General Conte’s legacy will therefore hunt generations of Guineans as history continues to judge his legacy.

What does the future hold for Guinea?

With a legacy that has left the country deeply divided, Guinea may likely be on a path to both economic and political collapse for failing to come to terms with its lost past. However, with respect to the voices of Guinea’s vibrant civil society, including the opposition, polarized factions of the military and other major actors across Guinean political landscape, the West African nation has the potential to revive from its troubled past to one of institutional building that could transcend ethnic lines and thereby ending corruption and nepotism in the name of nation building, and fostering a sense of national unity.

In a region that is already volatile as result of the wars fought in Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Ivory Coast; and a region used as the new front for Latin American drug barons, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, the United States of America, and the United Nations must positively engage Guinean military authorities for a smooth transition of power.

Although reports of a military coup remain to be troubling, resorting to only condemnations, the suspension of aid and isolation without a careful and positive consideration of Guinea’s 24 year mal-governance under the late conte’s iron rule may likely put the already fragile West African nation on the road to both political and economical collapse. This may also spread to war-ravaged nations such as neighboring Ivory-Coast, Sierra-Leone, Liberia and Guinea- Bissau. Engaging the military authorities at such crucial times is crucial in transforming the West African nation to a viable and sustainable democratic nation.