As we've noted briefly, last week soldiers in Guinea attacked unarmed civilians at a political demonstration in a stadium. Reports and cellphone camera photos of the attack have continued to surface, and today's New York Times has a horrifying account of what occurred in the stadium that day:
I can't sleep at night, after what I saw," said one middle-aged woman from an established family here, who said she had been beaten and sexually molested. "And I am afraid. I saw lots of women raped, and lots of dead."
One photograph shows a naked woman lying on muddy ground, her legs up in the air, a man in military fatigues in front of her. In a second picture a soldier in a red beret is pulling the clothes off a distraught-looking woman half-lying, half-sitting on muddy ground. In a third a mostly nude woman lying on the ground is pulling on her trousers. [...]
The exact number of women who were abused is not known. Because of the shame associated with sexual violence in this West African country, victims are reluctant to speak, and local doctors refuse to do so. Victims who told of the attacks would not provide their names because they were afraid of retribution.
But the witnesses were adamant. "I affirm, in categorical fashion, that women were raped, not just one woman," said Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, 34, an opposition leader who said he had been severely beaten himself. "I saw many rapes." [...]
"They especially tore into the women," said another former prime minister, François Lonsény Fall, who was also at the stadium. "They were seeking to humiliate them."
The U.S. government has called on Guinean leaders to ensure the safety of the people, but by all accounts the ruling military junta is actually to blame for the violence.
Amnesty International is asking for "an immediate halt to all supplies of security and police equipment to the Guinean government until it has taken practical steps to prevent violations by the security forces and has brought those responsible for Monday's acts to justice."
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This is just sick. And unfortunately not surprising. How awful. God bless them.
Why was there no trigger warning?
Why was there no trigger warning?
I figured "Reports of mass rape" in the title was sufficient indication that the material is disturbing.
Thank you for posting about what is happening in Guinea. I am a journalist who is writing a book about a Liberian refugee living in the US who lived behind Charles Taylor's rebel lines. I have been to Liberia on several occasions and have spent three years writing about post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation in Liberia and the Liberian refugee community in Staten Island. When I heard about what was happening in Guinea my first thought was "That is terrible," and my second thought was "What does this mean for stability in Liberia?" Why am I not just focusing on the atrocities in Guinea? Well, for one Guinea and Liberia are neighboring countries and Guinea has accused Liberia of allowing fighters to use Liberia to overthrow the Guinean government. There's a lot more to it that I can't explain here because of space constraints, but instability in Guinea would topple the fragile peace in the entire West African region.
So what does this mean for women?
Liberia's rape rate is still, six years after the war has ended, as high as it was during the 14-year civil war. Armed robbery is on the rise and many former soldiers are still unemployed, idle and homeless. That's a bad combination.
In speaking to sources in Liberia I've been told that there is some fear that Liberians have crossed the border into Guinea to join the ranks of Guinean soldiers.
But more to the point: Pres. Sirleaf, Africa's first woman president, has spent the almost four years trying to make life for all Liberians more stable by encouraging investment, building schools and passing Liberia's first-ever rape law. I fear that if violence spills over the border into Liberia all of the gains of the last several years will go down the drain. Not to mention the fact that Liberia is the one pillar of strength in the region. The international community must continue to support Liberia and the Mano River Union to maintain security.
If we don't it is not only Guinean women who will be in danger, but women all across the West African region.