Death of Conte brings coup in Guinea

It didn’t take long for unrest to rear its head after the long serving president of Guinea was pronounced dead.

Only hours after President Lansana Conte’s death was announced a coup attempt lead by a faction of Guinean soldiers hit the capital of Conakry.

The group said economic distress and widespread corruption gave them the right to suspend both the country’s constitution and the government as a whole.

Conte had ruled the West African nation since he led a coup in 1984. While he had won re-election many times, those elections were said to have involved many irregularities.

The 74-year old was known for having a firm grip on the military, but his health had been failing in recent years. His death is thought to be of natural causes.

How much support the current coup has, however, remains in doubt.

The head of Guinea’s armed forces, General Diarra Camara, told a French TV station that the mutinous group was not the majority of the army.

And although gunshots were heard, overall the capital was said to be calm.

While onlookers describe the situation as volatile, hope for a negotiated resolution remains.

The president of the National Assembly, Aboubacar Sompare, is the rightful head of state by way of the constitution.

France – who once colonized the country – said it would not recognize any coup. The African Union and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, also echoed that sentiment.

The impact on miners in the country at this point is unclear but past upheavals, such as a general strike a year ago and a minor military coup earlier this year, had minimal impact on the industry.

Major players such as Rio Tinto (RTP-N, RIO-L), Rusal and Alcoa (AA-N) all have operations in the country which has almost half of the world’s bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over 70% of Guinea’s exports.