Dadis Camara’s Return To Guinea Delayed Because of Differences Within The Junta

Dadis Camara - Unpredictable Circumstances

After three hours of intense discussions in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, Guinea’s Leader Moussa Dadis Camara and the country’s interim head of state, Sekouba Konate were not able to release a public statement as to how their talks ended. It seems the stopover in Ouagadougou was not predicted by Camara as he had expected to land in Conakry after leaving Morocco where he was undergoing treatment from a gunshot wound he suffered when an aide made attempt to assassinate him.

On arrival at the Burkinabe airport, Dadis Camara was met by few government officials and the reception was not semblance of that accorded to visiting heads of states, unlike the reception given to his second-in-command and current interim leader, Sekouba Konate. Konate received a red carpet reception at the airport and was received by top-ranking Burkinabe Ministers – whether one could read into that as an indication that Camara was being sidelined by the Burkinabe regime in favour of the much respected and west-accepted leader, only the unfolding events of the days to come will tell.

Sekouba Konate is keen on being seen as willing to lead Guinea through to democratic rule by yielding to the West’s demands for immediate elections administered by an interim government. Konate recently announced that an opposition nominated Prime Minister will join the government in an effort to form a coalition. The propensity for civil strife in Guinea is high if Camara is prevented from returning to the country as hardliners belonging to minority tribes like Camara are demanding his return, because in the past, the minority has not been well represented in decision making at government level and they see Camara’s assumption of the presidency as an opportunity to change all that.

But the pressure from the west seems to be having a slow but important effect as unassuming leaders like Burkinabe’s Blaise Compaoré, seem to be advocating strongly the west’s position to remove Camara from the political landscape of Guinea. The political reality is that Camara has strong ties in the Military and any attempts to force him out without a clear compromise and Camara’s acceptance of any proposed agreement may have serious consequences not only in guinea, but the wider region in general. Sierra Leone’s President, Ernest Bai Koroma, recently expressed his concerns about events happening in Guinea and urged all sides to reach out and compromise on a solution that will avoid conflict.

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