2 army officers accused of grave crimes appointed to Guinea’s new government

2 officers accused of crimes appointed to govt

CONAKRY, Guinea — Two powerful army officers accused of grave crimes have been appointed ministers in Guinea’s new government, dashing hopes that the rogue soldiers blamed for bringing this country to the brink of conflict would be sidelined.

The announcement of their appointment came via a decree read on state TV late Tuesday, more than 24 hours after the list of other government ministers was announced.

The initial list — which included only five members of the military, none of whom are accused of crimes — was hailed as proof that Guinea is moving ahead with plans to return the West African country to civilian rule after an 11-month military dictatorship.

Lt. Col. Moussa “Tiegboro” Camara, who is accused by a U.N. panel of being one of the main actors behind a Sept. 28 massacre of at least 157 civilians, was appointed to a special ministerial post in charge of the fight against drugs. Cmdr. Claude Pivi, who is accused of ordering the torture of civilians, will stay on as minister in charge of presidential security.

Corinne Dufka of Human Rights Watch, an expert on Guinea, called their appointments an outrage.

“Pivi and Tiegboro have been credibly implicated in extremely serious abuses, including torture and murder,” she said. “These appointments represent a huge step backward.”

Guinea was given a second chance at democracy in recent months after a renegade soldier shot the country’s military junta leader, forcing him to seek medical treatment abroad. While he was away, his No. 2 Gen. Sekouba Konate contacted members of the opposition and began to discuss plans for returning Guinea to civilian rule.

Konate then negotiated for Capt. Moussa “Dadis” Camara to agree to remain in exile and to hand over power to a civilian-led transitional government, which is to organize elections within six months.

The accord called for a government made up of 30 ministers including 10 to be drawn from the military junta.

For several weeks now, the civilian Prime Minister Jean Marie Dore has been wrangling with the military over the composition of the government, arguing that no members of the junta should be allowed to serve since it was the junta that led the slaughter of unarmed demonstrators at an opposition rally in September.

The five junta members who were appointed according to the list released Monday are officers known to have not taken part in the massacre.

The appointment of Pivi and Tiegboro in positions tied to the office of the president appears to be a middle ground aimed at neutralizing potential conflict. Both are said to command platoons of men who are loyal only to them and experts had warned that cutting them out of the political process altogether could lay the seeds for a future coup.

The two have positions inside the office of Konate and do not have their own departments or a ministerial portfolio.

“I don’t see what is untoward about these two being a part of the office of the president,” said Francois Lounceny Fall, the spokesman for a coalition of opposition parties. “What is important is that they are not cabinet members. They will not participate in ministerial councils,” he said.

But other opposition members said the appointment is unacceptable.

“Tiegboro is on the list of officers accused of the crimes committed on Sept. 28,” said opposition member Ibrahima Sow. “That he has been appointed to the new government is a flagrant violation.”

Guinea’s 10 million people have suffered through successive dictatorships since winning independence from France in 1958. Before Camara came to power in a Dec. 23, 2008 coup, the country had endured the 24-year rule of autocrat Lansana Conte and before that, the 26-year reign of Sekou Toure.

The current transitional government is being seen by many as the country’s first real chance at holding democratic elections.