Conte’s regime had been marked by excessive corruption and Camara promised he had come to “clean.” He pledged to punish all those who had embezzled from the state and then to hand over power to civilians in democratic elections in which he would not run.
It was only months later that he reversed course. In September, the presidential guard opened fire on unarmed protesters demanding an end to military rule, killing at least 157 people. Dozens of women were raped by the presidential guard.
The shocking level of violence prompted the AU and the EU to immediately impose an arms embargo on Guinea and to impose sanctions. The army, which was already deeply divided, began to fracture further as leaders of the massacre began pointing the finger at each other.
The tension increased last week as a UN commission investigating the killings began interviewing members of the junta in an effort to assign blame.
Residents feel helpless in the face of the heavily armed presidential guard, whose members zoom through town in pickups, pushing other cars onto the shoulder. Residents say the guardsmen routinely enter bars, order what they want and leave without paying.
Gas stations close early because they are afraid the armed men will demand their tanks be filled for free.
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