Civil unrest

I am meant to leave the ship this evening to do an airport run. The Africa Mercy has a constant turnover of volunteer staff. Over 1000 people will arrive and depart in a 40 week filed service. That’s a lot of people to take and fetch from the airport. Each department is responsible for picking up its own volunteer’s. The hospital makes up almost half the crew so we have a lot of airport runs to do ! Actually they are quite fun and not really a chore. Sometimes the drive is fun…a chance to feel free and independent, other times you are picking up friends and welcoming them back to the ship; and other times you get the pleasure of picking up new volunteers and welcoming them to the ship. They have a mixtue of nervous anticipation and excitement. I like airport runs.

However, sometimes airport runs are not so much fun. Tonight might be one of those times. There has been political unrest in Guinea for several days now. Ever since we arrived 8 months ago there have been occasional political demonstrations. Most of these do not affect our ship activities, patients can still reach us and we can move around freely in town. Only on rare occasions has our personal or business activities been affected. This week has been different. Yesterday (Saturday) we went on a boat trip to the beautiful islands just off the coast here. It was an outing for all Operating  Room staff including our local workers. However, due to recent violent protests some of the local workers didn’t want to leave home, especially the women. We live in troubled times.

The political unrest here has deteriorated into ethnic violence in some areas. It hasn’t reached main stream news but you can read reports on Reuters News Agency network. The following is a brief summary of what has been happening this month, taken from the news articles on the web.

Guinea is a former French colony, and when President Alpha Conde narrowly won the presidential election in 2010, the election was billed as the first free poll since the 1958 independence. Although the election was marred by deadly riots and opposition allegations of fraud. There had previously been a military coup in 2008, and the transition back to civilian rule is still not complete. The final step is legislative elections, which after much delay have finally been scheduled for May 12^th. These elections are a prerequisite to unlock millions of dollars of frozen foreign aid, and were originally scheduled for 2011 and have been delayed many times already.

Preparations for the elections are being hampered by opposition claims the government is seeking to rig the outcome in advance. The opposition, has called for a number of protests. But meanwhile, the head of the Guinean armed forces, General Diallo, was killed in a plane crash in Liberia on Feb 11^th. He was one of the main architects of the reform of Guinea's powerful military, which seized power in the military coup of 2008. Diallo was a strong supporter of the Conde government, but Diallo's predecessor, Nouhou Thiam, is in prison facing trial for his alleged role in a gun and rocket attack on President Conde's home by soldiers in 2011. During the period of mourning for General Diallo the protests were called off but restarted this week on wednesday Feb 27^th.

In 2010, President Conde promised to unite Guinea in the same way Nelson Mandela did after apartheid in South Africa. But many of his compatriots say he has failed. The opposition protest on Wednesday turned violent and some 130 people were injured. The violence continued and Guinean President Alpha Conde appealed for calm on Friday after rival ethnic gangs fought with knives and truncheons. Reuters reported ‘Security forces in full anti-riot gear took to the streets of the crumbling seaside capital Conakry to try to stem violence in which at least 65 people were injured, according to a statement from the presidency.’ And that ‘Residents of Conakry fled in panic as the gangs from rival ethnic groups roamed the streets. Shops and business were looted in many parts of the city.’

I feel safe on the ship, and we are monitoring the situation closely. Most of the violence is further outside the city than where we are in the port. Guinea is the world's top supplier of bauxite, the raw material in aluminium. However, the economy produces only about $1.50 per person per day despite a wealth of natural resources, including the world's largest untapped iron ore deposit.

Politics are mainly drawn along ethnic lines. The opposition coalition is broadly supported by members of the Peul ethnicity - the country's biggest ethnic group - and the government by the Malinke. Sadly, the political protests now appear to have degenerated into inter-ethnic violence between the Peuls and Malinkes. The US government and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have called for calm.

To reach the airport, we drive past the Grande Marche area of Madina. This is where there were running street battles between the Malinke and the Puel.

I will await further instructions from the captain and managing director as to who is going to the airport and how we get there. They are very experienced and have all the information they need from a variety of sources. I am confident wise decisions are always made here as Mercy Ships takes crew safety very seriously. So those of you reading this needn’t worry. Reminds me of trusting the Lord. We don’t need to know everything or know the outcome, but what a relief when I have confidence in the authority over me. Knowing they are there to protect, to lead and to guide. I thank God for Captain Tim and Donavan, and pray for them for wisdom, strength and energy as they steer the ship and crew through troubled times. I also pray for the people of Guinea, for peace and reconciliation. For good men and women, people of integrity and courage to lead this nation. The last women in government who stood against corruption was assassinated a few months ago. Guinea needs our prayers.