Hours after the death of President Lansana Conte, the military has seized power in Guinea – dissolving the country's government and suspending the constitution.
Conte has ruled the population of 9.9 million with a ‘hand of steel’ since 1984 and, despite Guinea’s mineral wealth and fertile soil, it is still one of the poorest West African nations.
As this goes to press, the current situation and atmosphere in Guinea is peaceful. BMS World Mission’s Regional Secretary for Africa, Andrew North, says that “all BMS mission personnel in Guinea are safe and well and over 800km away from the capital, Conakry. We are in constant contact with them”.