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Tag: Guinea

  • Guinea Votes in Presidential Election Expected to Cement Doumbouya’s Rule

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    Dec 28 (Reuters) – Guinea votes on Sunday in a presidential election widely ‌expected ​to hand Mamady Doumbouya, who seized ‌power in a 2021 coup, a seven-year mandate, completing the West African nation’s transition back ​to civilian rule.

    The former special forces commander, believed to be in his early 40s, faces eight other candidates in a fragmented field ‍with no strong challenger. Ousted president ​Alpha Conde and longtime opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile.

    Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest ​untapped iron ⁠ore deposit at Simandou, officially launched last month after years of delay.

    Doumbouya has claimed credit for pushing the project forward and ensuring Guinea benefits from its output.

    His government this year also revoked EGA subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation’s license after a refinery dispute, transferring its assets to a state-owned firm.

    The turn toward resource nationalism – echoed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – ‌has boosted his popularity, as has his youth in a country where the median age is about 19.

    “For ​us young ‌people, Doumbouya represents the opportunity ‍to send the old ⁠political class into retirement,” said Mohamed Kaba, a mechanic in Conakry. “There is a lot of corruption right now, but I hope these things will be sorted out.”

    DOUMBOUYA EXPECTED TO ENTRENCH POWER

    If elected, Doumbouya “will likely utilise his position to further entrench his power and that of the military over Guinea,” said Benedict Manzin, lead Middle East and Africa analyst at risk consultancy Sibylline.

    “In particular he is likely to position his allies and associates to benefit from the expected economic boom associated with the launch of production” at Simandou, ​Manzin added.

    A transition charter adopted after the coup barred junta members from contesting elections. But in September, Guineans overwhelmingly backed a new constitution removing that clause, extending presidential terms to seven years and creating a Senate.

    Provisional results showed turnout at 86.42%, though opposition figures disputed that. 

    OPPOSITION ACTIVITY RESTRICTED DURING CAMPAIGN

    Political debate has been muted under Doumbouya. Civil society groups accuse his government of banning protests, curbing press freedom and restricting opposition activity.

    The campaign period “has been severely restricted, marked by intimidation of opposition actors, apparently politically motivated enforced disappearances, and constraints on media freedom,” U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said Friday. These conditions “risk undermining the credibility of the electoral process,” he added.

    The government did not respond to a request for comment.

    Doumbouya kept a low profile during the ​campaign, leaving surrogates to make his case.

    At a closing rally on Thursday in Conakry, he skipped a speech although he danced with his wife while Congolese star Koffi Olomide performed. 

    He wore a white baseball cap and track jacket emblazoned with the name of his movement: “Generation for Modernity and Development.” 

    About 6.7 million people are registered ​to vote, with provisional results expected within 48 to 72 hours of polls closing.

    (Reporting by Guinea newsroom; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Louise Heavens)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Guinea Announces First Post-Coup Presidential Vote on December 28

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    CONAKRY (Reuters) -Guinea will on December 28 hold its first presidential election since a coup in 2021, according to a decree read on state television.

    The announcement was made on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Court validated the results of a referendum approving a new constitution that could allow coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run. Doumbouya has not said whether he plans to.

    The coup in Guinea was one of eight that swept West and Central Africa between 2020 and 2023.

    Guinea is of international financial significance as the home to the world’s largest reserves of bauxite.

    It also has the world’s richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou.

    Some countries that experienced coups, such as Chad and Gabon, have since held elections formally marking transitions to civilian rule, while others, including Mali and Niger, have approved lengthy transition periods without the need for a vote.

    Doumbouya’s government proposed a two-year transition to elections in 2022 after negotiating with regional bloc ECOWAS, but it missed that deadline.

    The new constitution replaces the transitional framework that had barred members of the junta from contesting elections, opening the door for Doumbouya’s candidacy.

    It also introduces institutional changes, such as longer presidential terms, from five years to seven, renewable once, and a new Senate.

    It passed with 89% of the vote, according to results published late Friday by the Supreme Court that put turnout at 92%.

    Opposition politicians have contested the turnout figure, saying it did not square with their observations at polling stations that indicated sparse voter participation.

    (Reporting by Guinea newsroom;Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Barbara Lewis)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Sept. 2025

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  • King Charles III crowned in Westminster Abbey

    King Charles III crowned in Westminster Abbey

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    LONDON — In a ceremony of pageantry, quirks and ancient tradition, King Charles III, Britain’s 62nd monarch, was on Saturday officially crowned head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms.

    The king, who succeeds his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was coronated at London’s Westminster Abbey alongside his wife Camilla in a two-hour ceremony attended by world leaders, members of the royal family, foreign dignitaries, faith leaders, and heads of state.

    The historic event was overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and punctuated with rituals, regalia, and objects dating back centuries.

    These included oaths, spurs, a Jewelled Sword of Offering, various sceptres and an orb. The king was anointed with holy oil via a coronation spoon, while the watching public were offered the chance to declare their loyalty by proclaiming: “God save King Charles.” 

    Among the 2,000 guests were French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. First Lady Jill Biden, the wife of U.S. President Joe Biden, was also present, accompanied by her granddaughter, Finnegan. They wore blue and gold attire respectively, interpreted as support for Ukraine, whose flags share the same colors. 

    The U.S. president himself chose not to attend, but wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their Coronation. The enduring friendship between the U.S. and the U.K. is a source of strength for both our peoples. I am proud the First Lady is representing the United States for this historic occasion.”

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sat beside President of the European Council Charles Michel, despite long-standing tensions between Brussels’ two most prominent politicians. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was also in the congregation.

    U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry was seen speaking briefly to former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, now president for global affairs at Meta. King Charles has been a life-long campaigner on the environment.

    U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who gave a reading during the service, was joined by senior members of his Cabinet and as well as all his living predecessors, including Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss — the latter having served in Downing Street for just 49 days last year. Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, a member of Sunak’s Cabinet, took a leading role in the ceremony, carrying the sword of state due to her ceremonial role as lord president of the privy council. 

    Keir Starmer, leader of the U.K.’s opposition Labour Party, sat next to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, while leaders of the devolved nations in the U.K. were also in attendance. Prince Harry was seated among members of the U.K. royal family, though his wife, Meghan Markle, remained in California with their children.

    Also present were the presidents of Germany and Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella, China’s vice-president, Han Zheng, and the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. Han’s attendance had been a subject of controversy in the U.K. due to his central role in China’s repression of Hong Kong.

    There were also leaders from the 14 Commonwealth nations for whom Charles is head of state, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins, as well as representatives from Grenada, Papa New Guinea, the Bahamas and others. 

    Celebrities such as singer Katy Perry, chef Jamie Oliver, actor Emma Thompson, and British TV duo Ant and Dec also took seats in the Abbey.

    Thousands of flag-carrying members of the public gathered along the procession route | Niklaas Halle’n/AFP via Getty Images

    Britain is a constitutional monarchy, and as head of state King Charles has a ceremonial role in opening and dissolving parliament, appointing a government, and approving bills before they become law. He also meets weekly with Sunak, the prime minister.

    However, the ability to make and pass legislation rests with politicians in an elected parliament.

    Thousands of flag-carrying members of the public enjoyed another British tradition — light summer drizzle — as they gathered in the early hours along the procession route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Before the coronation, the head of the U.K.’s leading republican movement, which held a protest in Trafalgar Square, was among those arrested by police. 

    Members of the royal family were gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony later Saturday afternoon ahead of a series of celebratory events taking place Sunday, including a pop concert at Windsor Castle. Monday has been designated a public holiday in Britain to mark the occasion.

    This article is being updated as the ceremonies continue.

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    Sebastian Whale

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  • US sanctions ex-Guinea leader, Mali politician for right abuses

    US sanctions ex-Guinea leader, Mali politician for right abuses

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    The US sanctions freeze assests including those of Guinea’s former President Conde and Mali’s former President Keita’s son.

    The United States has imposed sanctions on more than 40 people and entities for alleged rights abuses from nine countries, including Guinea’s former President Alpha Conde and Karim Keita, son of former Malian leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Karim Keita.

    In a statement released on Friday, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the announcement was the outcome of a thorough and multiyear investigation.

    Conde, who was deposed in a coup in September 2021, was sanctioned for his “connection to serious human rights abuses”.

    In 2010, Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected leader and was re-elected for a controversial third term after a constitutional referendum 10 years later. His presidency was bogged by allegations of endemic corruption and serial human rights abuses.

    In May, Guinea’s attorney general ordered legal proceedings against Conde and 26 of his former officials for alleged crimes, including acts of violence while in office. The charges range from complicity in murder and assault to destruction of property.

    According to the statement released by the US Embassy in Guinea, Conde’s security forces engaged in violence against opposition supporters and “the government arbitrarily arrested and detained opposition members” in 2020.

    Meanwhile, Keita served as the president of the Security and Defense Commission of the National Assembly in Mali from February 2014 until his father was overthrown in an August 2020 coup. He used his position to receive bribes, embezzle government funds and remove other officials who did not support his actions, the US said.

    Keita was also allegedly involved in the abduction, torture, and murder of reporter Birama Toure who was investigating his involvement in corruption.

    “Corrupt actors and human rights abusers both rely on deficiencies in the international financial system to perpetrate their activities,” Brian Nelson, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in another statement on Friday.

    “Over the past year, the Treasury has made combatting corruption and serious human rights abuse a top priority, including through the use of financial sanctions and addressing vulnerabilities in the US and international financial systems. By exposing the egregious behavior of these actors, we can help disrupt their activities, dismantle their networks, and starve them of resources,” he added.

    The announced sanctions freeze any US assets of the affected persons and bar US citizens from dealing with them.

    Individuals and entities from North Korea, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iran, Philippines, Russia, the Tibetan autonomous region of China, and elsewhere were also included in the sanctions list.

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  • This bird hadn’t been documented by scientists since 1882. Then they captured video of it in Papua New Guinea | CNN

    This bird hadn’t been documented by scientists since 1882. Then they captured video of it in Papua New Guinea | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A bird thought to be extinct for 140 years has been rediscovered in the forests of Papua New Guinea.

    The black-naped pheasant-pigeon was documented by scientists for the first and last time in 1882, according to a news release from nonprofit Re:wild, which helped fund the search effort.

    Rediscovering the bird required an expedition team to spend a grueling month on Fergusson, a rugged island in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago off eastern Papua New Guinea where the bird was originally documented. The team consisted of local staff at the Papua New Guinea National Museum as well as international scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy.

    Fergusson Island is covered in rugged, mountainous terrain – making the expedition especially challenging for the scientists. Many members of the community told the team that they hadn’t seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in decades, says the news release.

    But just two days before the researchers were scheduled to leave the island, a camera trap captured footage of the exceptionally rare bird.

    “After a month of searching, seeing those first photos of the pheasant-pigeon felt like finding a unicorn,” John C. Mittermeier, director of the lost birds program at American Bird Conservancy and co-leader of the expedition, said in the release. “It is the kind of moment you dream about your entire life as a conservationist and birdwatcher.”

    The black-naped pheasant-pigeon is a large, ground-dwelling pigeon with a broad tail, according to the release. Scientists still know little about the species and believe the population is small and decreasing.

    Insight from local residents was crucial for the scientists to track down the elusive bird.

    “It wasn’t until we reached villages on the western slope of Mt. Kilkerran that we started meeting hunters who had seen and heard the pheasant-pigeon,” Jason Gregg, a conservation biologist and co-leader of the expedition team, said in the release. “We became more confident about the local name of the bird, which is ‘Auwo,’ and felt like we were getting closer to the core habitat of where the black-naped pheasant-pigeon lives.”

    They placed a total of 12 camera traps on the slopes of Mt. Kilkerran, which is the island’s highest mountain. And they placed another eight cameras in locations where local hunters reported seeing the bird in the past.

    A hunter named Augustin Gregory, based in the mountain village Duda Ununa, provided the final breakthrough that helped scientists locate the pheasant-pigeon.

    Gregory told the team that he had seen the black-naped pheasant-pigeon in an area with “steep ridges and valleys,” says the news release. And he had heard the bird’s distinctive calls.

    So the expedition team placed a camera on a 3,200-foot high ridge near the Kwama River above Duda Ununa, according to the release. And finally, just as their trip was ending, they captured footage of the bird walking on the forest floor.

    The discovery was a shock for the scientists and the local community alike.

    “The communities were very excited when they saw the survey results, because many people hadn’t seen or heard of the bird until we began our project and got the camera trap photos,” said Serena Ketaloya, a conservationist from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, in the news release. “They are now looking forward to working with us to try to protect the pheasant-pigeon.”

    It’s still not clear just how many of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon are left, and the rugged terrain will make identifying the population difficult. A two-week survey in 2019 failed to find any proof of the bird, although it did discover some reports from hunters that helped determine the locations for the 2022 expedition.

    And the discovery might provide hope that other bird species thought extinct are still out there somewhere.

    “This rediscovery is an incredible beacon of hope for other birds that have been lost for a half century or more,” said Christina Biggs, the manager for the Search for Lost Species at Re:wild, in the release. “The terrain the team searched was incredibly difficult, but their determination never wavered, even though so few people could remember seeing the pheasant-pigeon in recent decades.”

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  • Guinea junta agrees with bloc to hold vote in early 2025

    Guinea junta agrees with bloc to hold vote in early 2025

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    CONAKRY, Guinea — The government led by Guinea’s coup leader reached an agreement late Friday with West African regional mediators on a schedule for holding new elections a little over two years from now.

    The regional bloc known as ECOWAS has spent more than a year negotiating with Col. Mamady Doumbouya’s government following the September 2021 coup and had imposed sanctions on the junta leadership. It was not immediately known how soon those might be lifted.

    The junta initially proposed a three-year transition, which was rejected by the regional mediators who already had obtained two-year transition deals after similar coups in both Mali and Burkina Faso. Guinea’s two-year clock starts in January, with elections then due in early 2025.

    For some, the news was bittersweet as demonstrations protesting the duration of the transition in Guinea have turned deadly, including three killed Thursday.

    “It took more than 17 deaths to reach a consensus,” complained Aly Baldé, whose brother was shot dead in Conakry.

    Guinea became the second country hit by a recent coup in West Africa, a little over a year after Mali’s military junta overthrew that country’s democratically elected ruler. Since then, Burkina Faso has seen two coups of its own.

    Burkina Faso and Mali already have agreed with ECOWAS on election dates — Mali’s is scheduled to be held by March 2024, but the situation in Burkina Faso is now in doubt after the latest coup there.

    A deal had been reached with the man who first toppled Burkina Faso’s president in January to hold a vote by July 2024. But it remains to be seen whether Capt. Ibrahim Traore, who seized power on Sept. 30, will fully honor that agreement.

    ECOWAS has said that Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso will all remain suspended from the bloc until elections are held.

    Beyond setting dates, ECOWAS also has expressed concerns about what shape the future elections will take and whether the coup leaders turned interim presidents will be allowed to run as candidates.

    Earlier this month, Doumbouya reiterated that neither he nor any member of the junta or the transitional government would take part in the eventual elections now due by January 2025.

    Doumbouya emerged as the leader after mutinous soldiers overthrew President Alpha Conde last year.

    Conde had won a landmark 2010 election after decades of dictatorship and strongman rule in Guinea, only to eventually try to seek a third term in office. He claimed the country’s term limits did not apply to him. While he succeeded in winning a third term, he was overthrown nine months later.

    ———

    Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.

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