Amid worries of interference, Guinea begins transition to democracy

Amid worry, Guinea begins transition to democracy

CONAKRY, Guinea — One of the fiercest critics of Guinea’s military junta became prime minister Tuesday, a crucial step toward democracy that comes amid worries the country’s wounded coup leader is trying to influence the political process from exile.

Jean Marie Dore takes over the premiership 13 months after the military seized power and dissolved the constitution. He vowed to steer the nation toward elections and said the military needs to be restructured for stability to take hold.

“I am committed to leading Guinea toward free, credible and transparent elections, which is a necessary passage for the country,” Dore said in a speech.

The appointment caps a sequence of events set in motion Dec. 3 when Capt. Moussa “Dadis” Camara, who took power in late 2008, was shot in the head by one of his aides and had to leave the country for emergency surgery.

Earlier this month, Camara agreed under intense pressure to stay in nearby Burkina Faso and not to return. He agreed to allow his No. 2 to appoint a civilian prime minister to prepare elections within six months in which no member of the military will be allowed to run.

The landmark agreement is deeply unusual in this part of Africa, where coup leaders typically cling to power until death, as was the case for Guinea’s two previous dictators, both of whom died in office.

Although many take heart from the quick appointment of Dore, some are worried by unconfirmed reports Camara is trying to meddle from the heavily guarded villa in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, where he is convalescing.

A retired diplomat close to the junta told The Associated Press that Camara has been making phone calls to supporters and power brokers in Conakry in an effort to influence who will be appointed in the transitional government.

Other politicians said they heard similar reports but could not confirm them. Camara could not be reached for comment.

“If the reports of his meddling are true, it means that the situation is worrisome. We need to strip Dadis of all means of communication from his bed in Ouagadougou,” said senior opposition official, Oury Bah. “There are so many ways for him to influence things via telephone.”

Junta spokesman Idrissa Cherif said Gen. Sekouba Konate, who has led the junta since Camara’s shooting, will travel with Dore to Ouagadougou in coming days to meet Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, who has mediated the crisis.

The retired diplomat, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the trip was aimed at discussing the possibility of moving Camara to another country outside the region in order to keep him from interfering in Guinean affairs.

The 71-year-old Dore was sworn in by a junta official as members of the military looked on in a ceremony marking the handing over of power to an interim government that will be shared by soldiers and civilians until elections six months from now.

According to the accord signed by Camara, the interim government will include 30 members — 10 to be appointed by the opposition, 10 by the junta and 10 by the country’s provincial governments.

Although initially popular when he seized power in a Dec. 23, 2008 coup, Camara quickly lost support when it became clear he did not intend to step down. In September, tens of thousands of people thronged the main soccer stadium in the capital in September to demand he do so — prompting security forces trying to crush the demonstration to kill massacre at least 156 people.

Dore was among those at the protest. He was so badly beaten by soldiers that he had to be hospitalized and stopped sleeping at home.

U.N. investigators say there are reasonable grounds to suspect Camara bears “individual criminal responsibility” for the systematic attack carried out by his closest aides. The international criminal court is said to be mulling a possible indictment.

Yale University anthropologist Michael McGovern, a Guinea expert, said the latest events in the West African nation give reason for hope, but dangers remain. If Camara manages to exert influence from abroad and tilts the military in his favor, he said, Guinea could fall into the pattern of its neighbor — the much smaller Guinea-Bissau, which has had successive multiparty elections that mean little because the army still wields real power.

“One of the inherent risks is that Dadis will want to stay engaged,” McGovern said. “It’s one of the reasons some want to see him moved as far away from Ouagadougou as possible.”

Callimachi reported from Dakar, Senegal.