A Guinean court has charged a top government official for his alleged role in the infamous September 28, 2009 massacre at Conakry's main sports stadium. Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara, the current secretary of state in charge of fighting organized crime, faces accusations over the killing of scores of protesters and mass rape of women. More than 150 people were killed and over 100 women raped, according to Human Rights Watch, and the massacre galvanized opposition to military rule which eventually led to democratic elections in 2010.

A severe fire ravaged through the Matoto market in Conakry several weeks ago, destroying over 20 boutiques. No lives were lost. An electrical short circuit was identified as the cause of the blaze.

The Guinean national soccer team crushed debutantes Botswana 6-1 in their second group stage game at the African Nations Cup. This was by far the biggest victory by any team at the tournament so far. Botswana had a player ejected shortly before half time for a bad tackle when the score was 3-1.

Guinea play tournament co-favorites Ghana in their final group stage game on Wednesday Feb. 1 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time (1800 GMT). The Syli national will advance to the quarterfinals with a win and will be eliminated with a loss. A tie will eliminate them unless Botswana defeats Mali.

Follow FOG's Twitter feed for live tweeting of Guinea's African Nations Cup 2012 matches.

Guinea's national soccer team lost by a 1-0 margin to Mali in both teams' opening match at the African Nations Cup tournament held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Syli national lost to their neighbors despite creating far more quality scoring opportunities. Guinea's next group stage game is on Saturday against Botswana, a team making their first ever appearance at the tournament. Their final match will be next Wednesday against Ghana, one of the teams favored to win the tournament.

Riots erupted in the northwestern town of Kamsar and one person was killed. The protests erupted in response to repeated power outages the mining town. An official for the mining company CBG said protesters blocked the railroad tracks but were dislodged by the army, according to Reuters.AFP added that over 30 were injured after soldiers fired on the protesters. The police station and gendarmerie were reportedly attacked and vehicles set ablaze.

The Guinean national soccer team's opening match in the 2012 African Nations Cup will occur next week. The tournament will be held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Guinea's opening round matches are as follows:

Jan. 24: vs Mali (1500 GMT)

Jan. 28: vs Botswana (1500 GMT)

Feb. 1: vs Ghana (1700 GMT)

The full Nations Cup schedule can be found here, though bear in mind that kickoffs on the linked to site are in central African time, which is two hours ahead of GMT and currently seven hours ahead of American EST.

Details regarding any television and/or online broadcasting are not available but readers are invited to share anything they learn.

Late last month, the government of Pres. Alpha Condé, political opposition parties and civil society organizations met with each other, according to Jeune Afrique. The dialogue was established to alleviate tension following the indefinite postponement of legislative elections that had originally been scheduled for last December 29. Despite this, several key opposition figures, most notably former prime ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Touré, were not present at the meeting.

The Guinean government has forcibly retired some 4600 soldiers in a attempt to reform an institution described by Reuters as 'notoriously oversized and unruly army." Reports suggest that the army's ranks have quadrupled in the last decade.

Guinean legislative elections scheduled for December 29 were postponed indefinitely, by the country's Independent National Electoral Comission. The postponement came in response to opposition demands for a delay to prevent fraud.

Africa Arguments (via AllAfrica.com) ran an in-depth analysis of the July 2011 assassination attempt against Pres. Alpha Condé and its implications on Guinean domestic politics.

After a 2-2 draw with Nigeria in Lagos, Guinea's national team was a shock qualifier for the 2012 African Nations Cup at the host's expense. Nigeria was not the only fallen continental giant. Egypt, Cameroon and South Africa also failed to qualify for the tournament, which will be co-host early next year by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

On this Guinean National Day, Human Rights Watch has a report (both in English and in French) criticizing the Guinean state for its failure to punish those responsible for the massacre of peaceful protesters committed in Conakry's main stadium on 28 Sept. 2009.On a somewhat related note, an opposition march in Conakry yesterday protesting the manner of organization of upcoming legislative elections was violently dispersed by the authorities. Opposition leaders say four people were killed in the repression.

The Guinean government banned a major opposition protest scheduled for this week, reports Reuters. The Minister for Territorial Administration said of the opposition, "They just want to create trouble to prevent investors coming into the country ... They did not even seek authorization for it," Opposition figures said the ban was not legal and accused the administration of trying to rig December's legislative elections of behalf of Pres. Alpha Conde's party.

Guinea's Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) has set December 29 as the new date for anticipated legislative elections. The CENI will engage in a six-week long revision of the electoral lists, starting on October 3.

The Guinean government is defending a new code it passed to regulate the mining industry. The code gives the government a free 15% share in mining companies and demands greater financial transparency, reported the BBC. Prime Minister Mohamed Said Fofana told a national television audience that the regulations would ensure mining companies paid taxes and royalties and require them to invest a minimum US$1 billion in the country.

Guinean president Alpha Conde accused the Senegalese and Gambian governments of having "complicity" with those who launched attacks on his residence in July. In a radio interview, Conde said of the assaults that "all was planned in Dakar." The allegations were vehemently denied by a spokesperson for the Senegalese presidency. Some have claimed that the accusations are eerily reminiscent of the "permanent plot" state of paranoia created during the regime of Sekou Toure.

Below are two cool YouTube videos on Peace Corps Guinea...

Below is a statement by our friends at Alliance Guinea on the occasion of Pres. Alpha Conde's recent visit to the White House with Pres. Obama.

NB: Une version en francais de cette declaration est disponible ici.

**

Dear President Obama:

As a nonpartisan organization of Guineans and friends of Guinea in America and around the world, Alliance Guinea wishes to thank you for your ongoing commitment to promoting a peaceful and democratic transition to civilian rule in Guinea. Your meeting on Friday with President Alpha Condé is a time to both celebrate Guinea’s significant progress toward a democratic state and to remind your counterpart that democracy cannot be accomplished with the grave curtailments of human rights and civic freedoms seen since he took office. Our analysis of the situation in Guinea and in the diaspora community suggests that unless these issues are addressed immediately, Guinea stands to lose all of the gains it has made to date – slipping back into authoritarianism and possibly even civil war that could endanger the entire sub-region. The consequences of such backsliding would be made all the worse by the loss of faith among citizens in the value of democratic elections.

Specifically, Alliance Guinea respectfully asks that you take advantage of this meeting with President Condé to address the following issues of great concern to all Guineans and friends of Guinea who wish to see the country realize true democracy, peace and sustainable development:

The attack against President Condé’s family residence is deeply troubling. But regardless of who is responsible, it must not be used as justification to conduct extra-judicial arrests and intimidation against those thought to oppose his administration. All those who have been arrested without due process should be openly charged or released, and violence against opposition members, media and business professionals must stop.

Legislative elections must be held before the end of the year, and in a safe and open atmosphere that facilitates campaigning across the country by all eligible candidates and allows all registered citizens to cast their votes in peace, and have that vote be counted.

The recent ban of all media coverage of the attacks against President Condé’s residence – as well as of all political talk shows of any kind in Guinea – must not be repeated.* It is essential that freedoms of press and expression, together with all civic rights protected by the Guinean constitution, be hereafter guaranteed for all Guineans.

Real dialogue must be held with members of the opposition parties in Guinea in order to ensure an open political environment as well as collaborative promotion of sustainable development in the country.

The grave and worsening ethnic tensions in Guinea should be addressed by the president, setting the example in reaching out to members of all ethnic and regional communities to promote inter-community dialogue and reconciliation.

The victims of the September 2009 atrocities and previous state crimes have yet to see justice. A truth commission or other process must be established to end the culture of impunity in Guinea.

As the historic opposition standard bearer in Guinea and winner of its first democratic elections, President Condé has an unprecedented opportunity to champion true democracy and to lead Guinea on a path that allows it to develop its incredible potential. As a leader for democracy in the world, the United States should take a stand in calling on President Condé to seize this opportunity and conduct state affairs with respect for his own constitution, international human rights treaties and the promises made to the Guinean people.

President Obama, thank you for your consideration and commitment to peace and democracy in Guinea.

Guinean president Alpha Conde survived a middle of the night assassination attempt in which his residence in Conakry was assaulted with bullets and rockets. Three people were killed, including one bodyguard, according to the presidency.

The Canadian Press reported that: Conde was saved because he was sleeping in a different room when the shooting erupted outside his residence at around 3 a.m. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed, said Francois Louceny Fall, Conde's chief of staff. The bedroom was ripped apart, Conde told French radio RFI.

A second attack on his residence was launched hours later while Conde was meeting with the French ambassador.

Soldiers were quickly deployed throughout the capital.

The CP added: Country watchers had long predicted that holding a democratic vote would be only a first step in ending the army's stranglehold on Guinea. The bigger question is how the new leader relates to the military, whose members had total control of state affairs and who saw their privileges diminished by the election of a civilian president.

Amazingly, the size of the Guinean military quadrupled in the final years of the military junta.

Gen. Nouhou Thiam was one of those arrested, according to police. Thiam was army chief under the previous military regime and one of Conde's first acts was to replace him.

Guinea expert Mike McGovern at Yale University said, "It sounds like a coup attempt from within the army."

The advocacy group Alliance Guinea has called on President Alpha Conde to hold free and fair legislative elections before the end of 2011. The organization has urged the president to abandon the idea of having another national census before legislative elections, to ensure the neutrality of government officials and to encourage an open dialogue on the electoral process.

Their full press release can be read here.

In response to a controversy earlier this year regarding apparent poor handling by the Peace corps of incidents of rape and sexual assault of PCVs, legislation has been introduced by both the federal House of Representatives and the Senate intended to provide better security and protection measures for Volunteers.

According to the National Peace Corps Association, the House legislation would require sexual assault risk-reduction and response training, the development of sexual assault protocol and guidelines, the establishment of victims advocates, and the establishment of a Sexual Assault Advisory Council.

The Senate legislation is "nearly identical," according to the NPCA.

According to Guineenews, Guinea's Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) has announced that legislative elections will be held this November. The CENI also announced that 200 million FG (a little under US$30,000) would be allocated for the conduct of the polls.

The Peace Corps has been heavily criticized in recent weeks over its treatment of Peace Corps Volunteers who are victims of rape and other forms of sexual assault. A front page article in The New York Times detailed several complaints against the agency's handling of such cases, citing a 'blame the victim' culture.

Hearings were held on the controversy, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The National Peace Corps Association, an RCPV advocacy group with which Friends of Guinea is affiliated, live blogged the Congressional hearings and has other information on PCV safety. Those can be found here.

Reuters has a couple of good analyses on the newly democratic system in Guinea.

The first explores 'the political turmoil, ethnic strife, and showdowns with international mining firms' that have characterized Pres. Alpha Conde's first half year in office.

Conde's security forces earlier this month cracked down on a crowd that had gathered at Conakry's airport to welcome [opposition leader Cellou Dalein] Diallo home from a trip, killing one and injuring several others.

Human rights activists said security forces, which are mostly Malinke, used anti-Peul slurs during the crackdown.

Dozens of Diallo supporters have been arrested and the offices of Diallo's party were raided by security forces.

The second Reuters piece has a look at some of the key political risks the country is facing.

The National Peace Corps Association has a helpful article explaining contigencies related to a shutdown of federal government operations and how it might affect the Peace Corps and volunteers in the field.

Jeune Afrique reports that dozens of protesters were injured when security forces fired on protesters. The supporters of losing presidential candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo had gathered at the Conakry airport to protest against President Alpha Condé's regime. The pan-African weekly quoted Guinea's chief human rights advocate saying that 27 people were hospitalized after the incident, 8 of whom were injured by bullets. He added that it was highly likely that there were others injured being treated at private clinics. There are no reports of deaths at this time.

Guineenews reports protests were held in Kankan demanding the departure of the region's administrative authorities. Protesters called for the resignation of the governor and the prefet, both military men, for being unable to resolve a shortage of gasoline that has hit Kankan in the last week. The mayor, for his part, was reproached for bad management of public resources. The marches were mostly peaceful, but reports indicate that some youths threw rocks and otherwise damaged property.

Update: Guineenews has just reported that President Alpha Conde has named 15 new prefets, including a new one for Kankan.

Stanley Meisler has recently published a history of the Peace Corps entitled When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the Peace Corps and Its First Fifty Years by Beacon Press of Boston. Meisler was an early deputy director of the Peace Corps and long-time foreign correspondent for The Los Angeles Times. Meisler has also written books on the United Nations and its former secretary general Kofi Annan. For more information, visit the author's website: www.stanleymeisler.com/

This article from The New York Times about the much-publicized Wikileaks’ diplomatic cables reports the influence of narco-traffickers in Guinea during the regime of Lansana Conté. With neighboring Guinea-Bissau often referred to as Africa’s first narco state and with parts of Mali also used by the drugs traffickers, it’s unlikely that their influence has completely disappeared with the end of Conté’s reign.

Guinea's newly-installed president Alpha Conde has named Mohamed Said Fofana as his government's new prime minister. Fofana was formerly director of economic research in the country's commerce ministry.

On a related note, a couple of good articles on Guinea's democratic transition include Guinea: Tyranny to Democracy (Liberia's The Analyst) and Guinea's Election An Example to All (VOA).

The Guinean state television broadcaster RTG's news program offered coverage of Alpha Conde's swearing in as Guinea's first democratically elected president (courtesy of Guineenews).

Former political prisoner Alpha Conde was sworn in today as Guinea's first democratically elected president. He took the oath of office at Conakry's Palais du peuple in front of numerous heads of state, including the presidents of South Africa and Liberia.

The country's outgoing military leader Gen. Sekouba Konate described the inauguration as an 'act of rebirth' for the country.

Agence France Presse noted that the ceremony included a minute's silence in memory of the 157 opposition supporters massacred by forces loyal to former junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara at a stadium in the capital in September 2009, a tragedy widely seen as the real beginning of Guinea's democratization process.

Guinea's election was accepted peacefully, if grudgingly, by the losing candidates. However, the same can not be said of neighboring Cote d'Ivoire, where an election controversy has provoked fears of another civil war in the country. Such tension has provoked over 200 Ivorian refugees so far to flee to Guinea, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

The Guineenews weekly press review discusses media speculation that deposed junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara may attend the swearing in of the new president Prof. Alpha Conde. Dadis has not been seen in public since being wounded in an assassination attempt in Dec. 2009.

RPG leader Alpha Condé has been officially declared winner of the Guinean presidential election by the country's Supreme Court.

Crucially, UFGD leader Cellou Dalein Diallo accepted the Court's decision, although he did contend that they didn't take his complaints into account.

Both Guinéenews and Radio France Internationale are reporting that Gen. Sékouba Konaté has declared a state of emergency in Guinea following post-electoral violence which has claimed several lives. Gen. Konaté declared that the state of emergency would last until definitive election results were announced by the Supreme Court.

Long-time opposition leader Alpha Conde has been declared the winner of the presidential runoff election by Guinea's Independent National Electoral Commission. The body credited the RPG leader with 52.5 percent of the vote compared to 47.5 percent for UFDG leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo.

However, it remains to be seen whether Diallo's supporters will accept the result, after the party withdrew from the vote counting procedure.

Following the announcement of Conde's victory, gunshots were reportedly heard in several parts of Conakry. However, Diallo made a public appeal, urging Guineans to 'avoid violence' while the Supreme Court investigated allegations of electoral irregularities.

Both candidates in Guinea’s presidential runoff have declared victory, sparking clashes between supporters and police.

RPG candidate Alpha Condé claimed a poll win during a press conference. The long-time opposition leader asked, "How is it that I can win 4 of the 5 communes in Conakry, all of the prefectures in Lower Guinea except for Boke, all the prefectures of the Forest and all the prefectures in Upper Guinea and not win the election?"

UFDG candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo went one step further: proclaiming himself president of the Republic.

The declaration came a day after the UFDG withdrew from the vote counting process. Diallo declared he would not accept the outcome of the vote because the election commission has refused to throw out ballots from two contested provinces [Siguiri and Kouroussa] which were swept by anti-Peul riots in the days before the poll. Diallo said his supporters were too intimidated to show up to vote and his party could not even find representatives to oversee the counting of ballots, reported the Canadian Press.

The International Criminal Court urged Guineans to avoid the same post-electoral bloodshed that tore apart Kenya a few years ago.

According to the most recent figures available from Guinea’s Independent Electoral Commission, Diallo had a narrow 50.62%-49.38% but with just under half the votes counted. However, Voice of America’s Conakry correspondent opined that Condé is likely to win, suggesting that this is what sparked the UFDG boycott.

Today, Guineans are voting in the long-delayed presidential run off election between former prime minister Cellou Dallein Diallo and long-time opposition leader Alpha Conde.

Here are a some Twitter feeds that are covering the election to vary degrees. (Click on the links to go to the pages)

-Alliance Guinea

-Guineenews (in French)

-African Elections Project - Guinea

-Radio France Internationale - Afrique (in French)

Guinea's long delayed presidential run-off election has a new scheduled date: November 7.

Note: Make sure to follow FOG's Twitter feed for regular updates.

Today, the families of the 157 people killed in Conakry’s 28 September Stadium were banned from gathering or approaching the venue to mark the first anniversary of the massacre.

In a statement read Tuesday on state TV, the Minister of Religious Affairs Mustapha Koutoubou Sanoh asked the families of the victims to mark the date by praying for their loved one at the nearest mosque or church. Implicit in his instructions was the fact that families would not be allowed to march to the stadium, or enter it to place flowers as they had planned, reports the Associated Press.

Military trucks blocked entrances to the stadium and were also stationed at key intersections, the wire service added.

Voice of America noted that a foundation has been set up to keep alive the memory of the victims and to push for accountability for the peretrators.

For its part, Human Rights Watch called for the implementation of long-delayed justice for the stadium massacre.

Additionally, NGOs called for sweeping reforms of the Guinean military.

Meanwhile, there may be another delay in the presidential runoff, now proposed for October 10.

Guinea's Independent National Electoral Commission has proposed October 10 as the date for the long delayed presidential election runoff.

The website Portail des élections d'Afrique reports that there was a fire at the Almamy Samory Touré military camp in Conakry, which is the central location for housing ballot papers and other electoral materials. The website reports that the fire happened in 'mysterious circumstances' but noted that further information has been hard to come by.

The Guinean state broadcaster RTG has announced that the second round of the presidential election has been postponed. Junta leader Gen. Sékouba Konaté has pushed back the Sept. 19 runoff ‘indefinitely,’ according to Guinéenews. The BBC World Service radio speculated that the delay might be for two weeks.

The postponement followed weekend clashes between supporters of former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and Prof. Alpha Condé, which left one dead and 50 injured. In a speech to the nation, Gen. Konaté also urged the rival candidates to keep their partisans under control.

The World Service also reported on logistical problems. The Independent National Electoral Commission noted that it was missing some 460,000 voting cards due to arrive from South Africa on Sunday night, the evening of the originally scheduled runoff.

The ruling military junta has confirmed that the second round of Guinea's presidential election is scheduled for September 19. It will involve former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and longtime opposition leader Alpha Condé, who received 43.7% and 18.3% of the vote respectively in the first round.

It is still unclear when the second round of Guinea's presidential election will take place. The runoff was supposed to be held on July 18 however it was delayed while the Supreme Court ruled on claims of voting irregularities. Prime Minister Jean-Marie Dore proposed August 22 for the runoff, which was seconded by Cellou Dalein Diallo, the leading vote getter in the first round. However, it is not certain when the poll will be scheduled. Diallo will face off against long time opposition leader Alpha Conde.

Conduct of the first round of presidential elections were generally praised by the international community, including ECOWAS and the United States.

However, the Carter Center did cite concerns, including: Confusion about several important aspects of voting and counting procedures, delay in allocation of polling stations, and late delivery of essential voting materials negatively affected the quality of polling.

The top two finishers will contest a run off: former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and longtime opposition leader Alpha Condé. The second round was originally scheduled for July 18 but reports have suggested that it will not take place on that date, since the Constitutional Court will not rule on the validity of the first round results until July 13.

The interim government banned public demonstrations following the first round and broke up with tear gas a march held in defiance of the ban.

Several opposition candidates complained about electoral irregularities, most vehemently the UFR's candidate Sidya Touré. Touré, another former prime minister, finished third in the first round, about 5 percentage points behind Condé.

Touré attacked the president of the transition Gen. Sékouba Konaté as well as the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner.

The acting head of state Gen. Konaté responded angrily to the 'offensive' questioning of his neutrality and set off a mini-crisis when he threatened to resign. However, he appears to have been dissuaded from this course of action by Senegal's leader Abdoulaye Wade and African Union chief Jean Ping.

Guinéenews and several other media outlets are reporting that the results of the first round of Guinea's presidential vote have been announced by the country's Independent Electoral Commission. The two highest vote getters were former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, with nearly 40 pct. of the vote, and longtime opposition leader Alpha Condé, with a little over 20 pct. of the vote. Another former prime minister, Sidya Touré, was in third with 15.6 pct. The runoff between Dalien and Condé, expected to be confirmed by the Supreme Court, is presently scheduled for July 18, but the AP is reporting that the date may be pushed back until later in the month.

Our colleagues at Alliance Guinea have launched a 'high-tech election monitoring system' in support of this Sunday's presidential election in the country.

The system, GV10 Witness (or GV10 Temoin, in French), will allow Guineans on the ground to report violence, threats of violence, fraud and other serious incidents via SMS, email and Twitter.

The messages will then be posted to the website www.GV10Temoin.org on a map of Guinea, organized by incident location and type of incident or report. People monitoring the elections – whether election administrators and observers, international media, civil society organizations or the general public – will then be able to follow developments on the site or through email updates.

This effort will require volunteers to process the information. If you'd like to help, please click here for more information.

Campaigning and preparations in Guinea are well underway for the June 27 poll, expected to be the first ever free and democratic elections in the country's history. Some 24 candidates are contesting the presidential election, none soldiers.

The US NGO the Carter Center has sent a delegation to monitor the vote and has described the campaign as 'positive.' The African Union has also praised preparations.

The Economist had a profile of the head of state Gen. Sekouba Konate and his efforts to ensure that both the elections and the future civilian administration remain free of military meddling. Additionally, the army chief of staff Col. Nouhou Thiam warned that there would be no immunity for soldiers involved in the Sept. 28, 2009 massacre.

However, Foreign Policy warns that challenges remain beyond the formal election. It published an article on 'Guinea's economic junta' which noted that the army's domination of lucrative mineral contracts won't end with the ascension of a democratic head of state.