Guinea's New Transitional Government: Emerging Issues for U.S. Policy

Abstract

A "government of national unity" was formed in Guinea on January 15, 2010, a year after a military junta, the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), took power in a coup d'etat. While the CNDD has not been dissolved, it has agreed to share power with civilian opposition groups in the lead-up to presidential elections, scheduled for June 27, 2010. Defense Minister Sekouba Konate has assumed executive power as interim president, while opposition spokesman Jean-Marie Dore was named prime minister. The formation of a unity government followed six weeks of political uncertainty after CNDD President Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara was shot in December 2009 by a member of his personal guard and evacuated for medical treatment. The appointment of the unity government has temporarily stemmed international concerns over political instability in Guinea and its potential spillover into fragile neighboring countries, such as Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire. However, concerns remain over the political will to hold elections, impunity, and disorder among the security forces, and the potential for "spoilers" to disrupt Guinea's long-awaited transition to civilian rule. The United States, which had been highly critical of Dadis Camara's erratic leadership, has expressed support for Guinea's transitional government. At the same time, certain restrictions on U.S. bilateral assistance and targeted travel restrictions against CNDD members and others remain in place. As electoral preparations advance, a number of issues will confront U.S. policy. These include U.S. relations with the Guinean government; the status of U.S. assistance and travel restrictions on CNDD members; the monitoring of progress toward elections; U.S. policy toward a potential International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of alleged CNDD human rights abuses; and potential U.S. support for security sector reform in Guinea.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 23, 2010
Accession Number
ADA520797

Entities

People

  • Alexis Arieff

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Congress
  • Criminals
  • Department Of State
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • Judiciary
  • Labor Unions
  • Law
  • Military Education
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Political Parties
  • Security
  • Security Personnel
  • Therapy
  • Training
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.