Although I never actually made it to Guinea, the fact that I spent 3 months thinking I was going there has instilled in me an interest in the country.

Unfortunately, the strikes in January and related violence have clearly not resolved the discontent in the country. The BBC is reporting on it. Here is today’s article: Guinea soldiers riot over talks

In the meantime, let’s hope that Togo remains relatively stable. Elections have been promised for 2007, so let’s hope for free and fair elections.

On Wednesday as I was taking the train up to the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center, I received the call from the Peace Corps; the Guinea program has been cancelled.

By Thursday I managed to talk to the Peace Corps placement officer on the phone and she offered me the option of going to Uganda in early March.

I will write more about Uganda when I’ve had a chance to learn more. For now, it is somewhat ironic that the strike in Guinea has ended. However, things are still not politically stable…

“The unions called off their 18-day strike only after securing a deal with embattled President Lasana Conte that will see him replaced as head of government by the new prime minister… “It’s an agreement which is only worthwhile if it is implemented, for the moment it is only a promise,” warned Sidya Toure a former president and the current leader of the opposition Union of Republican Forces.”
From

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070128/wl_afp/guineapoliticsunrest_070128182107

I return to California from Paris tomorrow.   

 Parisien newspapers have little blurbs on what is going on in Guinea.  I’m concerned about whether our departure at the beginning of February can really go forward…

From AFP: 

“The unions, backed by 14 opposition parties, have since toughened their line and called for Conte to be constitutionally removed by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he is too unwell to hold office.

Conte, who is 72, has run the west African country since a bloodless military coup in 1984 but suffers from diabetes and memory lapses and was twice hospitalised last year in Switzerland.”

Things are apparently now longer quite on the streets of Conakry, and there are calls for the president’s rule to end:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070119/wl_africa_afp/guineapoliticsunrest_070119133347

So the strikes have started and everything is quiet in the capital Conakry. No violence has been reported.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-01-10-voa34.cfm