Customs and traditions
According to Abbreviationfinder, mof Guinea’s roads and railways link cities and major mines, while it is difficult to get to more sparsely populated parts of the country. However, new roads have been built to facilitate communications between the capital and the countryside. The railways available are used to transport bauxite from the mines to the ports of Conakry and Kamsar. There is an international airport in Conakry.
Conakry, the congestion on the roads is great, which creates problems with exhaust gases.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Guinea, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
In 2005, an almost 90 km long road was opened between Conakry in Guinea and Bamako in Mali, which was built with the support of the EU. The highway between Senegal and Ivory Coast also passes through Guinea, as does the Trans West African Highway which extends from Morocco to Nigeria.
The railways available are used to transport bauxite from the mines to the ports of Conakry and Kamsar. A new line is planned to be built. The government is trying to persuade the mining companies to contribute new infrastructure, including a new rail route from the Forecariah area to a new deep-sea port to be built south of Conakry, but no construction has yet started.
The port of Conakry has been modernized in recent years.
Conakry-Gbècia International Airport receives over 300,000 travelers a year. In addition, there are about ten smaller airfields in other parts of the country. Plans are underway to build a new international airport in Matakango. The governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have considered starting a joint airline, Air Many, to improve regional air services. During the Ebola epidemic, many airlines canceled their traffic to Guinea.
According to Countryaah, mobile phone connections have been greatly expanded in recent years. In 2014, there were nearly nine million mobile phone users in the country.
2019
December
The opposition announces election boycotts
December 23
Guinea’s opposition parties announce that they plan to boycott the parliamentary elections on February 16. Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo says after a meeting with about 20 parties that they want to try to keep the elections at all then. Among other things, he points out that many minors must have been added to the voting list. Originally, the election would have been held on December 28, 2019.
Condé presents proposals for a new constitution
December 19
President Alpha Condé presents a draft of a new constitution for Guinea. According to it, the term of office of the President should be extended from five to six years, and they should also be eligible for re-election. However, he does not say whether he intends to try to stand for re-election, something the opposition believes he is planning and which has sparked widespread protests.
New protests against Condé
December 10
Major protests are being made against President Alpha Condé. According to the opposition, as many as one million people participate. This is one in the line of several similar demonstrations in which participants protest against what they believe is the president’s attempt to get a change in the constitution so that he can stand for re-election. At least 20 civilian Guineans and one military police have been killed since the protests began in mid-October.
November
10 opposition leaders are temporarily released
November 28
Ten opposition leaders from the National Front for Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) who were sentenced to prison in October for organizing protests against President Alpha Condé possibly planning to change the constitution so that he can once again stand for re-election are now temporarily released pending that their appeal by the judges should be heard in early December. On December 5, the Supreme Court ruled on the case to the Constitutional Court, making it delayed even before it makes its decision on the prosecution’s appeal.
SMB wins the rights to break iron
November 13
The Société Minière de Boké, a consortium with its main base in Asia, is now granted rights to extract iron in the Simandou Mountains in the country’s southeastern part. This happens after several years of controversy, not least because of allegations of bribery. SMB, which claims to be Guinea’s largest bauxite exporter, consists of a Guinean transport and logistics company, a Singaporean shipping company and a Chinese aluminum manufacturer. One reason why SMB wins the tender contest is that the company promises that all transport will go through Guinea.
Two dead in new clashes in Conakry
November 4th
Two young people are killed and several people injured in clashes between a funeral train and security forces in Conakry. Hundreds of people have gathered to bury eleven opposition supporters killed in connection with government-critical demonstrations in October calling for justice for the dead and “Alpha, murderers”. After participants in the funeral parlor have started throwing stones at the security forces, they respond by train and shoot sharply towards the train.
October
45,000 in manifestation for President Condé
October 31st
About 45,000 people gather in the capital Conakry to show their support for President Alpha Condé. Protesters dressed in yellow and white t-shirts with texts such as “yes, to a new constitution” and “let’s have a referendum” border the roads from the airport to Conakry’s center. This is in response to the opposition’s previous protests against possible plans to change the constitution in order for Condé to stand for re-election. Protests that, according to domestic journalists, have gathered hundreds of thousands of participants.
Five opposition leaders are sentenced to prison for protests
22 October
Five leaders from the opposition alliance The National Front for Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) are sentenced to prison for organizing protests against President Alpha Condé possibly planning to change the constitution so that he can once again run for re-election. Abdourahamane Sanoh, FNDC coordinator, is sentenced to one year in prison, another four FNDC leaders are sentenced to six months in prison, while two defendants are acquitted. According to the opposition, ten people were shot dead by police in connection with the protests, while authorities claim that nine protesters were killed and one military police.
Eight opposition leaders are arrested and prosecuted
October 19
Eight opposition leaders from the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) are arrested and prosecuted for organizing protests against President Alpha Condé, which led to violence. According to the opposition, at least ten people were killed when protesters clashed with security forces. The prosecutor is demanding that the opposition leaders be sentenced to prison years in prison, the defense that they should be acquitted.
At least six dead in connection with protests against President Condé
15 October
At least six people are killed in connection with two days of protests in the capital Conakry against President Alpha Condé possibly planning to change the constitution so that he can stand for re-election. The 81-year-old president said in September that the population would be ready for a referendum, but without specifying what it would be about (see September 2019). He should also have urged his government to prepare constitutional changes. Six of the victims must be civilians and the seventh a policeman. According to official data, only two people have been killed. Behind the protests stands an alliance of political parties, trade unions and other civil society organizations: the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC). According to the opposition, at least 100 people have been killed in connection with protests since Condé came to power in 2010. The president himself emphasizes that he adheres to democratic rules of the game and says that he invited the opposition to an open dialogue. His current mandate expires in 2020.
Opposition politicians leave parliament in protest
October 11
53 opposition MEPs are leaving Parliament in protest of what they mean are attempts by the government to push through constitutional changes so that President Alpha Condé can run for re-election for a third term. As it is now, a president can only be re-elected once.
September
Michelle Bachelet: Skip Justice After Massacre 2009
September 28
UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet calls on Guinea to bring justice to the over 150 opposition supporters killed in a massacre in Conakry in 2009, when soldiers opened fire on protesters (see September 2009). An investigation into the case was completed in 2017, but since then not much has happened. According to Bachelet, real peace and reconciliation in the country will not be possible until those responsible for the act have been brought to justice. Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana says the Guinean authorities are determined to have a trial done.
President Condé: preparing for elections and referendum
September 25
President Alpha Condé, via a video, calls on the Guineans to prepare for elections and a referendum. There is speculation that the 81-year-old president wants to change the constitution in order to stand for re-election. Condé’s second term as President expires in October 2020.
May
Opposition supporters are sentenced to prison
May 8
Seven opposition supporters are said to have been sentenced to three months in prison for “disrupting public order” when protesting against President Alpha Condé whom they fear wants to be re-elected for a third term despite contravening the country’s constitution. The convicts belong to a group that calls themselves the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front National pour la Defense de la Constitution, FNDC). The seven were arrested on May 4 in connection with a demonstration outside a sports arena in Kindia where Condé gave speeches.
April
Opposition politicians are arrested
April 5
Faya Millimouno, leader of the Liberal bloc (BL) and several of the party’s supporters are arrested outside the National Assembly in Conakry, protesting that a new session will start despite the parliamentary term expiring in January. In mid-January, President Condé elected to extend the National Assembly’s mandate, but no date for the parliamentary election has been announced. The last election was held in September 2013.
New opposition alliance is formed
April 3
Four opposition parties join forces in the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front National pour la Defense de la Constitution, FNDC) to prevent President Alpha Condé from running for re-election in 2020. According to the constitution, he cannot participate when he has already sat for two terms, but his Guinean People’s Party (RPG) is pressing for that to be possible. Condé himself has not yet commented on the matter. The FNDC includes, among other things, Guinea’s Democratic Forces (UFDG) and the Republican Forces Union (UFR). Liberal bloc (BL) and a number of civil society organizations.
January
School start after three months’ strike
January 14
The schools reopened after a three-month teacher strike. This happens after the government and the teachers’ union, SLECG, have agreed that all teachers are guaranteed a salary increase of 40 percent and that new negotiations should be started on a basic salary for teachers. According to the government, the payroll for teachers has more than tripled since 2011.