Clergy in Guinea Want President Alpha Condé “to break silence and bring peace”

Markets, offices, businesses, schools and shops have been closed in Guinea following the opposition call for a quiet protest against the president who wants to change the constitution to extend his mandate for another term, VoiceGambia has reported.

Demonstrations by the opposition and civil society, who have also decided to boycott the legislative elections scheduled for February, are sometimes violently repressed by the security forces.

Since October 2019, this repression has resulted in more than 20 deaths, including a police officer, various media sources have reported.

Convened under the theme “The African priest in the face of illegal immigration,” the January 22-26 meeting provided an opportunity for the clergy in Guinea to condemn violence and attacks on the population.

“The current socio-political situation in Guinea cannot leave anyone indifferent,” they stated and continued, “It's a bad time. The unjustified excesses and abuses of all kinds, the loss of human and material lives have caused fear and sadness among the population.”

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“Our democracy is being flouted for the benefit of regionalism, nepotism, ethnocentrism, favoritism, injustice and clannism. The legal principles that govern our nation (the constitution, the electoral code, the civil code, the penal code...) are trampled underfoot in favor of subjective agreements that do not take into account the interest of the nation,” the clergy in Guinea lamented in their statement.

According to the Church officials, “Violence and unpunished crimes are on the increase. Sincere and patriotic dialogue is almost absent. The education system has entered a long crisis with repeated strikes, which are seriously affecting and compromising the future of the younger generations.”

“The social fabric is broken as a result of an exclusive and selfish, regionalist and ethnocentric policy,” they said and continued, “Public and private goods are being destroyed, affecting the environment, economic growth and the development of our country.”

“The manipulation of youth for political purposes has become commonplace. Permission to demonstrate is granted to some and forbidden to others, which denotes an injustice in the management of civil liberties'', they denounced before making recommendations,” they added.

It is on the basis of these observations that UCG made recommendations to all stakeholders including those in power and opposition leaders.

Faced with the precarious situation in which the country is plunged, the Bishops' Conference recommended three days of fasting and prayer from January 22-24.

In a communiqué made public in mid-January, the Bishops invited all Guineans “in the name of God Almighty to repentance and to implore God's mercy.”

 Following the footsteps of the bishops, Guinean priests have recommended that “all Guineans should turn to God to ask for his help and invoke his peace in the country.”

To the government and politicians, UCG members reiterate “the urgent appeal that Robert Cardinal Sarah addressed to the Guinean political leaders on December 8, 2019: “Blood has been shed in Guinea for too long. Too much blood has been spilled and desecrated our homeland. Enough is enough.”

“This is why, while bowing before the memory of the victims of the demonstrations, we wish for justice to be done. We also condemn all discriminatory statements that incite hatred and violence, as well as the destruction of public and private property,” UCG members added in their collective statement.

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To the leaders of the opposition, the Guinean clerics noted, “Multiparty democracy gives you a decisive place in decision-making for the future of the nation. We invite you to give priority to safeguarding the common good and to promote dialogue.”

In the statement, UCG members remind religious men and women in Guinea of their “important mission before God and before men to denounce all excesses and injustices of society.”

“We take the commitment not to let ourselves be manipulated and intimidated by politicians, but on the contrary to work for truth, justice, charity and freedom,” clerics in Guinea stated.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.