An investigative journalist was forcibly abducted in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, on Tuesday evening, according to his wife and lawyer.
The abduction of Habib Marouane Kamara, editor-in-chief of the online investigative outlet lerevelateur224.com, comes amid a continuing crackdown on independent media by the country’s military regime.
Kamara, who was on his way to meet a businessman and a friend, was stopped by men in security force uniforms driving a pickup truck, his wife, Mariama Lamarana Diallo, said on Wednesday.
The friend accompanying Kamara reported that the men smashed the rear windshield of the vehicle, dragged Kamara out by force, and began beating him with batons until he lost consciousness.
The men then tossed him into their truck and drove off. Kamara’s friend was also briefly detained but later released and has since gone into hiding.
Neither Diallo nor Kamara’s lawyer, Salifou Beavogui, have heard from him since the abduction. “I am speechless,” Diallo said, tearfully addressing the media.
Guinea has been under military rule since 2021, when soldiers overthrew President Alpha Conde. The military junta, led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, has promised to transition the country back to civilian rule, with elections scheduled for 2025.
However, the military has dissolved political parties, placed major opposition groups under surveillance, and postponed elections.
The junta has also imposed significant restrictions on independent media. Reporters Without Frontiers has documented increasing attacks on journalists, including arrests and the suspension of media outlets. In addition, social media platforms and private radio stations have been shut down, and numerous websites have been suspended for extended periods.
Rights organizations have expressed concern over the shrinking space for press freedom in Guinea, with Reporters Without Frontiers noting that “despite media pluralism, journalists and the media face obstruction and attacks that have become dangerously commonplace.”
The military regime’s crackdown on the media comes as part of broader efforts to suppress dissent and control information. The situation is reflective of a troubling trend across West Africa, where military juntas in countries such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have delayed the return to civilian governments after taking power in recent years.
