Africa

An investigative journalist was abducted in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, by men in security forces uniforms, his wife and lawyer reported on Wednesday. The abduction comes as the military regime continues to intensify its crackdown on independent media. Habib Marouane Kamara, editor-in-chief of the online investigative outlet lerevelateur224.com, was heading to meet a businessman and a friend on Tuesday evening when he was stopped by men in a pickup truck, his wife, Mariama Lamarana Diallo, said in a statement. According to the friend who was with Kamara, the men, dressed in security force uniforms, smashed the rear windshield of their vehicle and forcibly dragged Kamara out. This account was confirmed by a witness who spoke to The Associated Press but wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The men beat Kamara with batons until he lost consciousness, then threw him into their truck and drove away, Diallo said. Kamara’s friend was also forced into the police vehicle but was later released and has gone into hiding. Since the incident, Kamara’s wife and his lawyer, Salifou Beavogui, have not been able to contact him. “I am speechless,” Diallo said, breaking into tears. Guinea has been under military rule since a 2021 coup ousted President Alpha Conde. The regional bloc ECOWAS has called for a return to civilian governance, with elections scheduled for 2025. However, the military junta has yet to announce a date for the elections and has taken measures to suppress opposition, dissolving numerous political parties and placing two major opposition groups under observation. Guinea joins a growing list of West African countries, including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have seized power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Earlier this year, Burkina Faso’s military regime extended its transition period by five years. Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the leader of Guinea’s junta, justifies his actions by claiming he intervened to prevent chaos and criticizing the previous government’s unfulfilled promises. However, critics argue that Doumbouya’s leadership is no better than that of his predecessor. In February, Doumbouya dissolved the government without explanation, promising to appoint a new one. He has resisted foreign pressure, stating that Africans are “exhausted by the categorizations with which everyone wants to box us in.” Since taking power, the military regime has cracked down on independent media. Rights groups report that journalists have been subjected to harassment, arrests, and violence. Social networks and private radio stations have been shut down, and news websites have been suspended without explanation. “Despite media pluralism, journalists and the media face increasing obstruction and attacks, which have become alarmingly common,” said Reporters Without Frontiers in a statement earlier this year.