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Guinea: war, poverty, dictatorship and bauxite

Of all France's colonies, Guinea was toughest in cutting links with its colonial master

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 September 2009 22.15 BST

France's condemnation of bloody events in its former colony of Guinea reflects its awkward relationship with the mineral-rich African state that declared independence in 1958. Post-independence history has been marked by military dictatorship, repression, poverty and the knock-on instability of a succession of wars fought along its borders in the 1990s and early 2000s in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. Despite a wealth of minerals, Guinea remains one of the world's poorest countries, with 40% living under the poverty line.

"Of all France's colonies in Africa, Guinea was the toughest in cutting links with its former colonial master. At independence, Guinea went down the route of a Marxist regime closer to Russia and China than France," said Sylvain Touati, co-ordinator of the African programme at the French Institute of International Relations.

In contrast to France's privileged relations with regional neighbours Senegal, Ivory Coast or Gabon, Guinea refused a special "françafrique" relationship with the old powers in Paris. France does not have military bases in Guinea. Parisian investors are tempted by Guinea's vast mineral reserves, but France is only one of many nations keen for deals. Russia and China, for example, last year agreed to fund a $1bn hydropower dam in Guinea in return for rights to mine bauxite.

However, Paris and the European Union have for months been monitoring the build-up to the Guinean elections expected next year. They were set to play an important role in funding and giving technical support for the vote on the assurance that elections would mark a transition to democracy. Earlier this month, Dadis Camara sent a delegation to meet foreign ministry officials in Paris, suggesting he would be standing in the elections. There was a cold response from the French government and the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, has called a meeting in Brussels tomorrow to discuss how the EU should react to the violence.

Paris is also concerned about the effects of Guinean unrest on the predominantly francophone region of west Africa. "If there's a problem in Guinea, if there is war in Guinea, unrest could spread to its neighbours and destabilise the whole region," Touati said.

The African Union has already given Camara a deadline of mid-October to confirm that he would not stand in the election or risk sanctions. But the junta leader has in recent months resisted external pressure to relinquish power and remained openly defiant in the face of foreign pressure.