GUINEA
REFUGEES STILL AT RISK
Continuing Refugee Protection Concerns in Guinea
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In February 2001, Guinean soldiers came into our camp at Nongoa. They surrounded us and went everywhere in the camp. We were told to stand outside our houses and they checked all of the houses and opened everything. We were searched for marks [of rebel tattoos]. They made us take all our clothes off, even the women. They even looked at our thighs. The men who searched were in combat uniform with guns and army cards. They spoke in French to each other and someone translated into Kissi for us. They said while they were searching us, "if we find any rebels among you, we will kill all of you here." All the time, they promised us that.

Nongoa wasn't safe because it is near the border. Rebels from Sierra Leone come to the border and tell us to come back. At the border, they call to us and say if we don't come back to Sierra Leone they will come over to Guinea and get us. It is very close to the camp, and they can just shout to us from there. I don't feel safe in Guinea now, and I am not happy here. When I was in Nongoa, the rebels took over and I was left with nothing. Now I have no more courage to stay in Guinea. I want to go to Sierra Leone, but my heart is not happy. There are rebels there. I want to be under U.N. protection, and I hope that they can help me.

Forty-one-year-old Sierra Leonean refugee, April 2001

II. Recommendations 
To the Guinean Government: 
To the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): 
To Donor Governments: 

III. BACKGROUND
IV. Protection Concerns for Refugees within Guinea 
Screening of Refugees for the Presence of Rebels 
Harassment, Extortion, and Other Abuse of Refugees 
Arbitrary Arrests, Poor Prison Conditions and Deaths in Detention 
Forecariah Prison 
The Massakoundou Arrests 
Police Detention Facilities 
Inadequate Registration and Identity Documentation 
Refugees Remaining in the Border Area 

Acknowledgements