Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Guinea massacre highlights LatAm drug ties

At least 157 people were killed in the Guinean capital city of Conakry yesterday as part of a brutal repression by government forces.

The massacre occurred as 50,000 protestors demonstrated against military leader Capt Moussa "Dadis" Camara who came to power via a 2008 coup. The violence did not limit itself to the killings as local human rights activists also denounced troops for raping women under the guise of a “crackdown.”

In a televised address, Camara blamed “uncontrollable” soldiers for the heinous murders and banned all “subversive” gatherings. Nonetheless, his opponents remain defiant with some threatening to continue taking to the streets in protest.

The Conakry massacre brings to light the seeming lawlessness of numerous West African countries. As we’ve mentioned before, countries like Guinea Bissau have virtually turned into narco-states with close ties to Latin American drug gangs. Traffickers from countries like Colombia take advantage of the rampant corruption, abject poverty, and geography of Guinea Bissau as part of a drug “highway” from the Americas to Europe and Asia.

Despite being entitled “Guinea junta lead war on drugs” the following video from France 24 highlights the deteriorating situation in the country which is turning into a major drug production zone:

Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube, The Telegraph, BBC News, Guardian UK

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