Guinea: A Coup Brewing

A careful analysis of Guinea in the 21st century, will ascertained that the country is deeply divided between an elite group of citizens, a middle class and a poor majority that continue to suffer under the whims and caprices of totalitarianism. It is such a division that many scholars could contend, exists even within the ranks of the
armed forces. One can also confidently contend that elements of the Guinean Armed Forces have become powerful proponents of civil society. The current actions by mutinous soldiers following the sacking of the country’s Prime Minister are a living testament to that reality.

Mutinous soldiers have taken to the streets blockading administrative buildings and firing shots in demand for arrears of wages and the sacking of some senior commanders. It would therefore be foolhardy to claim that ailing President Conteh is not loosing his grip on power.

THE ROLE OF THE USA IN HAITI HUNGER RIOTS

In the same way that US cotton farm subsidies hurt African cotton farmers by depressing the world market, Bill Quigley argues that by subsidizing its rice farmers, the US has gravely hurt Haitian rice farmers. Riots in Haiti over explosive rises in food costs have claimed the lives of six people. There have also been food riots world-wide in Burkina Faso, Cameroon,Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The Economist, which calls the current crisis the silent tsunami, reports that last year wheat prices rose 77% and rice 16%, but since January rice prices have risen 141%. The reasons include rising fuel costs, weather problems, increased demand in China and India, as well as the push to create biofuels from cereal crops.