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Guinea

Spanish authorities have arrested a man on charges of enslavement and diamond pillaging during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Michel Desaedeleer, who has dual US and Belgian citizenship is suspected of forcing enslaved civilians to mine for diamonds in Kono district between 1999 and 2001. During the conflict in Sierra Leone, diamonds were sent to Liberia where former President Charles Taylor used the proceeds to buy weapons for rebels. A Belgian investigation led to a European arrest warrant being issued for Desaedeleer earlier this year. RFI’s Daniel Finnan spoke to Alain Werner, Director of Civitas Maxima, a victims association which has been working on the case…

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Sierra Leone: ‘Blood diamond’ arrest in Spain sets precedent for pillage and enslavement charges

Rebels in South Sudan led by Riek Machar say that government forces have broken a ceasefire, just hours after it came into effect. A spokesman for the rebels told RFI that their forces were attacked in Mayandiit and Koch counties, both in northern Unity state. According to a peace deal signed last week, a cessation of hostilities came into effect on Saturday night. The rebels and army on Saturday accused each other of fighting in Upper Nile state in the northeast of the country. RFI’s Daniel Finnan spoke to Dickson Gatluak, acting spokesman for rebel leader Riek Machar…

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South Sudan ceasefire: Rebels accuse government of launching offensive in Unity state

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir making this week a rare long-distance visit. He is spending four days in China to attend celebrations commemorating the end of World War II in Asia. He last travelled to China in 2011. Harry Verhoeven, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, spoke to RFI’s Michel Arseneault @miko75011

Sudanese president in China for four-day "business trip"

A leading NGO says one of its ships  has rescued more than 300 refugees in the Mediterranean so far today. MSF says the refugees, including women and small children, were adrift at sea in three rubber dinghies. They are now on boad an MSF ship, the Dignity. RFI's Michel Arseneault @miko75011 reached Lindis Hurum, an MSF official, onboard another MSF boat 25 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.

MSF boat rescues 300 more refugees, including baby, off Libya

Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda will seek to prove his innocence at his trial before the International Criminal Court that opens today. Prosecutors say Ntaganda played a central role in ethnic attacks on civilians in the mineral-rich in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo more than 10 years ago. The former rebel leader turned himself in after fleeing to Rwanda in 2013. His lawyer, Stéphane Bourgon, told the press yesterday that Ntaganda is in good health.

Warlord defense lawyer says client keen to prove innocence at ICC

In Guinea, at least two people have been killed in clashes in the capital Conakry ahead of Sunday’s presidential election. Violence broke out near the Madina market between supporters of incumbent President Alpha Conde and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo. RFI’s Daniel Finnan has more…

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Photo: President Alpha Condé campaigning in the streets of Conakey, 8 October 2015 by RFI’s Guillaume Thibault.
Sound of Alpha Conde and Cellou Dalein Diallo produced by Guillaume Thibault, translated by Daniel Finnan, voiced by Daniel Singleton and Paul Myers.

Tensions running high in Guinea ahead of elections, opposition call for delay

In Guinea, an innovative election monitoring system set up by a group of bloggers garnered some 7000 engagements during the presidential election. The website - www.guineevote.com  was set up by a blogging collective called Ablogui supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa. It used Ushahidi open source technology to collect information from some 400 trained monitors who sent text messages, emails and tweets to report on the polls. RFI’s Daniel Finnan spoke to Alhoussein Fadiga, a member of the Association of Guinean Bloggers.

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Guinée Vote
http://guineevote.com/

Guinea: E-Observers help open people’s eyes to politics during election

Wednesday marks seven years since a massacre in Conakry left more than 150 people dead. On the 28th of September in 2009, soldiers stormed Guinea’s national stadium where anti-government protesters were holding a rally. More than 100 women were raped or subjected to sexual violence. And soldiers guarded the stadium exits to stop those trying to escape. Three Guinean judges have opened an investigation into the massacre and several current and former high level officials have been charged. However, the case has still not gone to trial. RFI’s Daniel Finnan spoke to Clemence Bectarte, a lawyer at International Federation on Human Rights (FIDH), who is representing the victims…

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Photo: Woman who returned to Conakry stadium for first time since being arrested and abused by security forces on 28 September 2009. Credit: FIDH / Tommy Trenchard
http://waitingforjustice.fidh.org/en/testimonies/

Seven years after Conakry stadium massacre: time to close the investigation & hold trial

A new report has assessed promises made by President Alpha Condé’s government. To see whether he's lived up to all the campaign pledges he made for his 2015 election. The project is called Lahidi meaning promise in local Guinean language Susu. And some 400 promises have been identified. The project hopes to hold the government to account, tracking the implementation of policies analytically. It's now going to periodically review them and see whether they've been implemented. RFI’s Daniel Finnan spoke to Alhoussein Fadiga from ABlogui, an association of Guinean bloggers, one of the groups running the Lahidi project…

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http://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170307-spotlight-equality-now-lahidi#lahidi
Daniel Finnan
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Photo: Alhoussein Fadiga

Keeping tabs on Guinea’s president

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