Guinea Conakry – One Of The African Countries Where Soldiers Prefer The Presidency To The Barracks (Part 2)

After A Failed Attempt By Captain MOUSSA DADIS CAMARA In 2009, General MAMADI DOUMBOUYA Is Also Allegedly Scheming To Attempt To Hang On To Power By ‘Transforming’ Himself From A Military Leader To A ‘Civilian President’ 

But Like Happened With DADIS CAMARA, The Politically Conscious People Of Guinea Conakry And The No – Nonsense ECOWAS, Will Certainly Oppose The Attempt

Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations, Syndicates And ECOWAS In West Africa, Are Not Weak Like Those In The Politically Backward Central Africa

An allegation or rumour has been making its round in Guinea Conakry, that the President of the Government of Transition, General MAMADI DOUMBOUYA, is planning to be a candidate in the presidential election to return the country to civilian rule, like has happened in some countries in Central Africa, which is the most backward region on the African continent in matters of democracy or politics.  When journalists in the nation’s capital, Conakry, asked the Prime Minister who is a civilian, if it was true that General Doumbouya was planning to be a candidate in the presidential election, he neither said yes or no. Rather he said if General Doumbouya has such a plan, then he should know that the two of them will meet in the race. By this, the Prime Minister indirectly announced that he too will be a candidate in the presidential election.

What is certain is that if the President of the transition government, General Mamadi Doumbouya intends to be a candidate in the presidential election, he will definitely face strong opposition or criticisms from the civil society organizations, syndicates and political parties in Guinea, and also from ECOWAS. West Africa is not Central Africa.  The Prime Minister of the transitional government that has also revealed his intention to run in the presidential election might also face similar opposition, though he is a civilian. It is not normal in democracy for a member of a government of transition, more so the President or Prime Minister, to be a candidate in an election supposed to be organized by the government. That even defeats the meaning of transitional government.

 Guinea Conakry – Military Prefer Presidency To Barracks

Meanwhile the military in Guinea Conakry is giving the country the negative image, to look like a country where the military prefers being in the presidency than in the barracks. Whenever the military takes over power in Guinea Conakry, the President of the transitional government would promise that they would soon return the country to civilian rule. But along the line, the military leader and his group would start scheming to hang on to power. The Military President of the transitional government will further the scheming for their stay in power, by trying to manipulate things and ‘transform’ himself into a Civilian President.

The game General Doumbouya and his men, have been trying to play to hang on to power, was done by his military predecessor, Captain MOUSSA DADIS CAMARA. When Captain Dadis Camara came to power following a coup d’etat in Guinea Conakry, he promised that the transitional government was going to rapidly put order in the country, and return the country to civilian rule. He embarked on a much mediatized fight against corruption that made him very popular in the country.

But then instead of respecting the programme to  hand back power to a civilian rule, Captain Davis Camara started  scheming to hang on to power, by wanting to be a  candidate in  the presidential election that his transition government was supposed to organized to return power to a civilian rule. Of course there was no doubt that Captain Moussa Camara would win the presidential election organized by his government or his men. Many civilians were mobilized behind the scene, to publicly call on Captain Davis Camara to be a candidate in the presidential election, purportedly for the interest of the country.

 September 28, 2009 Massacre

The President of the transition government, Captain Davis Camara, granted a press conference in Conakry, during which he made some ridiculous statements while indirectly exposing his intention to be a candidate in the presidential election. He said he initially had no plan to run for the presidential election, and that his initial intention was  to hand back power to civilian rule as he had promised when he came to power.

But then he ridiculously said that he was confused on what to do. He said this was because thousands of Guineans were calling on him to run in the presidential election. Captain Dadis Camara, said that if he declared his candidacy for the presidential election, he would disappoint those Guineans that want him to respect the promise he made when he took over power. But he said is he refused to run in the presidential election, he would also disappoint the many Guineans that wanted him to be candidate. But then he stopped short of openly saying that he would be a candidate in the presidential election.

Guinean Politicians Understood Captain Dadis Camara’s Message

However Guinean politicians understood Captain Mousaa Dadis Camara’s message,  and reacted by mounting a strong opposition against his plan to hang on to power by running in the presidential election that was supposed to be organized by the transitional government, supposedly to hand back power to a civilian rule. Political parties and civil society organizations in Guinea organized a grand rally at the Conakry Stadium  on September 28, 2009, to jointly denounce the manipulation by Captain Dadis Camara and his men to hang on to power. Unfortunately, a large group of  armed military men stormed the Conakry Stadium to disrupt the rally, and  ended up killing several people, in what became known as the September 28, 2009  Massacre.

Captain Dadis Camara Condemned To 20 Years Imprisonment

Tension mounted in Guinea Conakry following the massacre at the Conakry Stadium. The President of the Transition Government, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, strongly rejected accusations that linked him the massacre. However no one believed him. His popularity rating suffered a severe downturn. Suffice to say one day, he was shot and seriously wounded by his body guard, during a trip outside the capital. He became incapacitated to rule, and underwent a long period of treatment, during which Guinea returned to civilian rule.

When Captain Moussa Dadis Camara finally recovered, he was put on a long trial alongside other suspects or accused persons, for his role in the massacre that took place at the Conakry Stadium on September 28, 2009. Interesting enough, the last part of the trial was covered live by the State media. Judgment was delivered in June 2024, with Captain Moussa Dadis Camara slammed a 20 jail term, for the role he played in the massacre.

Controversial Presidential Pardon

But unfortunately, the former President of the Transitional Government in Guinea, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, was to spend less than a year in jail. The current President of the Transitional Government in Guinea, General Mamadi Doumbouya, who too has been scheming to hang on in power, on Friday, March 28, 2025, granted Captain Dadis Camara a presidential pardon. The presidential pardon, more so coming so fast, was considered controversial by many Guineans.

The so called presidential pardon was strongly condemned by many political parties, civil societal organizations and syndicates, which considered it as inhuman. General Doumbouya was accused of being callous, of having no feelings or sympathy for victims of the massacre of September 28, 2009. A  group of human rights organizations in Guinea, together with victims  as well as family members of late victims of the September 28, 2009 massacred,  announced that they were to file a  joint complaint against the controversial decision to liberate Captain Dadis Camara, to the International Criminal Court, ICC, at The Hague.