Guinea coup leaders demote all generals

[December 29, 2008]  CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) -- Coup leaders have demoted Guinea's many military generals, setting up a possible struggle with battalions no longer under central command.

The African Union, meanwhile, suspended Guinea from the bloc on Monday until civilian control was restored.

The coup followed the Dec. 22 death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte after more than two decades in power.

Coup leader Capt. Moussa Camara said his group would hold power until elections in two years, though some have questioned whether Camara would be able to control the plethora of military units created under Conte's 24-year rule.

On Sunday, coup spokesman Nouhou Thiam announced on state radio that more than 20 generals had been demoted -- including the heads of the army, navy and airforce. He said Conte's military chiefs would be reassigned to other military jobs.

None of the country's military chiefs has commented on the announcement.

On Friday, army chief Gen. Camara Diarra told the AP "As far as I know, I am still the head of the army."

His name was the first on the list of demotions, which raise the specter of instability in the impoverished West African country, which has known only two leaders since its 1958 independence from France.

Camara's junta now appears to hold control, broadcasting on public airwaves, staging news conferences and meeting with foreign diplomats.

But experts note that Guinea's military units are heavily armed and headquartered in different parts of the country, separated by bad roads and unreliable cell phone service. Since Conte's death, the battalions are no longer under any central command and they could be centers for unrest, experts warn.

The coup leaders also demoted security force chiefs, according to Thiam. But the status of Conte's loyal presidential guard was not immediately known. The guard has been accused by opposition leaders and international humanitarian organizations of executing dozens of demonstrators during massive protests against the regime two years ago.

Earlier Sunday, soldiers loyal to Guinea's coup leader searched the residence of a high-ranking military officer for weapons.

"We are here to see what he is hiding," one of the coup leaders, Claude Pivi, said outside Gen. Ibrahima Diallo's gated house, where he had arrived in one of two pickup trucks filled with soldiers carrying machine guns.

Inspector Mamady Toure, a member of the junta, said the coup leaders had received information that required the search of Diallo's house, but he would not elaborate.

The region's main bloc, the African Union, put Guinea's membership on hold "until the return of constitutional order in that country," it said after a meeting of its Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where it is based.

Though most in the international community have condemned the coup, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States has said the coup leaders should be given a chance to prove their good faith.

But the African Union said it was giving the coup leaders six months to restore constitutional order or face further sanctions.

Camara was unknown to most Guineans before declaring a coup Tuesday, but appears to enjoy broad popular support in the country.

Several thousand people, including top union members and opposition figures, met with Camara at his military barracks Saturday, and gave him a standing ovation when he promised to let the people propose names for an interim prime minister.

Camara also vowed to execute anyone who embezzles state funds, and reiterated that his aim was not to stay in power or enrich himself, but to see Guinea through to elections in December 2010.

[Associated Press; By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI]

Associated Press writer Maseco Conde contributed to this report from Conakry, Guinea.

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