Guinean Soldiers Vow to End Criminal Behavior

Guinea’s president, Moussa Dadis Camara, publicly acknowledged and condemned human rights abuses committed by Guinean security forces, sending a strong message to soldiers that such violence should stop. In a televised ceremony, Camara led hundreds of soldiers in a vow to stop abuses. Since the December 2008 coup in which Camara came to power, members of the military have been committing armed robbery, extortion, rape, and other violence against ordinary Guineans. In April 2009, Human Rights Watch published accounts of abuses by the military, generating significant national and international press coverage and spurring international observers and Guinean civil society to take a much more critical approach to Camara’s party. Shifting the discourse about abuses within Guinean society, Human Rights Watch’s reporting has increased international pressure on the government from the European Union, the United Nations, and the African Union, and led to greater monitoring of abuses by local Guinean organizations. Human Rights Watch is now pressing Guinea to hold members of the security forces accountable and to hold free, fair, and transparent elections as quickly as possible. These would be important steps towards securing regional stability. A worsening political and military situation in Guinea could draw thousands of unemployed former fighters from neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone, reversing hard-won gains made in both of these countries.
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