Guinea: Hope and New Beginnings

Posted August 7, 2009 /

25 years.

That’s how long Lansana Conte ruled the West African country of Guinea-Conkary. Yet toward the end of those two and a half decades, as Conte became ill and battled death, many warned that political violence could break out when Conte died.

The BEFORE Advisory Committee for West Africa responded to those warnings by sending a team into Guinea and starting a political violence prevention program in Guinea. Conte died shortly thereafter. The leadership void was immediately filled by several members of the military via a group called the National Council for Democracy and Development (Conseil National de la Démocratie et du Development, CNDD).

Workshop attendees become aquainted with BEFORE's conflict analysis objectives.

Workshop attendees become aquainted with BEFORE's conflict analysis objectives.

As the country faced the challenges of fostering stability, justice and peace, BEFORE and its partners went to work. BEFORE brought together more than 50 representatives from government ministries, security and defense forces, political parties, civil society organizations, and leading religious and opinion groups to discuss the challenges to lasting and sustainable peace. The meeting, called the Consolidation of Peace Workshop was a great success, setting a tone of collaboration and hope for the country to move forward.

Workshop participants and facilitators spend extensive time discussing the root causes of the main destabilizing conflicts in Guinea and crafting an action plan that would involve multiple actors from various sectors from both Guinea it-self and the international community. In addition to developing a cartography of the country’s conflicts, the participants also proposed a plan of action to address those conflicts:

  1. Return to constitutional governance through elections
  2. Establish a effective and credible legal system
  3. Reform defense and security forces
  4. Promote political and judicial good governance
  5. Equip Guinea with a new constitution

To learn more about the participants’ findings, read the Consolidation of Peace Workshop Executive Summary in English and the Guinea National Action Plan to Consolidate Peace in English, or the Rapport D’Atelier in French and the National Action Plan to Consolidate Peace in French.

To become a part of the Guinea Consolidation of Peace Action Plan with financial support or programmatic expertise, contact us.

To support the work of bringing about the peace people in Guinea are hoping for in this new phase of their country’s future, take action today.