Guinea won its independence from France in 1958,and remained in the hands of a ruling elite since then.
In December 2008, following the death of Lansana Conte, Guinea's strongman leader for 24 years, Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camara, Guinea's military leader took power.
When Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camara took power he promised the people of Guinea that he will not stand for elections. And the people had hopes for the first democratically held elections in this country.
Thousands of protesters angered by reports that Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the country's leader, planned to stand in forthcoming elections, and fearing another era of dictatorship took to the streets of Guinea.
The protesters were violently repressed by The ruling National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD). The bloody crackdown on an opposition rally left more than 150 people dead according to local human rights groups and 57 people dead according to the government.
Guinea Riches and OilGuinea is rich in minerals, Guinea's mineral wealth includes more than 4-billion tonnes of high-grade iron ore, significant diamond and gold deposits, and undetermined quantities of uranium.
Guinea also possesses over 25 billion tonnes (metric tons) of bauxite – and perhaps up to one-half of the world's reserves (the raw material used to make aluminium).
The west coast of Africa is now ripe for oil development, and Guinea is actively being courted in this endeavor. It is thought by many of the large oil companies that the west coast of Africa, which Guinea centers, might be able to supply the United States with near thirty percent of its oil within ten years.
Most of Guinea's 10,211,437 people remain amongst the poorest in the world, despite all the riches of the country.
Submitted by adama
