The RFDG Insurgency was an insurgency in
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
by the
RFDG, a rebel group supported by
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
and the
Sierra Leonean rebel group
RUF. The fighting was closely connected to the
Second Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996.
President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...
and the
Sierra Leone Civil War and primarily occurred on Guinea's borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone. Beginning in September 2000, some of the most intense fighting took place around the city of
Guéckédou
Guéckédou or Guékédou is a town in southern Guinea near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders. It had a population of 79,140 in 1996 (census) but has grown massively since the civil wars and, , it is estimated to be 221,715. It was a centre o ...
in December, before the level of violence decreased in 2001.
Background
![LURD_Gen_Cobra_with_security_at_port](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/LURD_Gen_Cobra_with_security_at_port.jpg)
In 1999, Guinea had 450,000
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. from the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...
and the
Sierra Leone Civil War, the highest number in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
at the time. Most of these refugees lived near the borders with
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
and
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
. While this border region was initially peaceful, in the late 1990s the Sierra Leonean rebel group
RUF began to conduct cross border raids into Guinea. The start of the
Second Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996.
President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...
in 1999 lead to an influx of more refugees and cross border raids from Liberian forces.
During the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...
, Guinea had supported the government of
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...
, and had sent troops as part of an
ECOMOG force, which clashed with the forces of the rebel leader
Charles Taylor. When Taylor became the
president of Liberia
The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Prior to the independence of Liberia ...
, Guinea supported the
LURD
The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) was a rebel group in Liberia that was active from 1999 until the resignation of Charles Taylor ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. While the group formally dissolved after the ...
rebel group, which it allowed to launch attacks on Liberia from Guinea.
Thus, relations between the two countries were tense.
Guinea experienced two failed coup attempts in 1996 and 1998. With Liberian and RUF support and alleged weapons deliveries from
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
, Guinean officers who fled the country after the 1996 coup attempt formed the
Rassemblement des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée (RFDG) in order to overthrow
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Lansana Conté.
Insurgency
![Un-guinea](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Un-guinea.png)
The first attack was on September 2, 2000, at Massadou, on the border with Liberia. At least 40 people, including civilians, were killed. On September 4,
Madina Woula
Madina Woula (also spelled Madina Oula) is a town in southern Guinea near the border with Sierra Leone.
Transport
It is a likely station on the proposed Transguinean Railways.
See also
* Transport in Guinea
* Railway stations in Guinea
Rail ...
, on the border with Sierra Leone, was attacked, causing the deaths of at least 40 people.
On September 6, the
RUF was allegedly involved in the temporary capture of
Pamelap
Pamelap is a town in Forécariah Prefecture, Kindia Region in the Republic of Guinea. Pamelap shares an international border with the town of Gbalamuya located in the Republic of Sierra Leone. Pamelap has a population about 20,000.
Almost the e ...
, the closest attack at the time to the capital,
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
.
In response to the attacks, on September 9,
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Lansana Conté gave a speech in which he said that there were rebels among the refugees and that the refugees should go home.
In addition to the
Guinean Army
The Guinean Armed Forces (french: Forces armées guinéennes) are the armed forces of Guinea. They are responsible for the territorial security of Guinea's border and the defence of the country against external attack and aggression.
Guinea's ar ...
,
LURD
The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) was a rebel group in Liberia that was active from 1999 until the resignation of Charles Taylor ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. While the group formally dissolved after the ...
forces were mobilized to defend
Macenta
Geography
Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea
is located in the Guinea Highlands (at ) on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou. The Nianda River joins the Makonda River near Macenta. Macenta is also loca ...
and
Guéckédou
Guéckédou or Guékédou is a town in southern Guinea near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders. It had a population of 79,140 in 1996 (census) but has grown massively since the civil wars and, , it is estimated to be 221,715. It was a centre o ...
. Young Guineans from the border areas were recruited into local militias called Young Volunteers.
On September 17,
Macenta
Geography
Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea
is located in the Guinea Highlands (at ) on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou. The Nianda River joins the Makonda River near Macenta. Macenta is also loca ...
was attacked, and the head of the
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
office in the town was killed, along with other civilians. Macenta and
Forécariah were attacked multiple times in September. In October and November the fighting was primarily in the
Languette region, an area near
Guéckédou
Guéckédou or Guékédou is a town in southern Guinea near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders. It had a population of 79,140 in 1996 (census) but has grown massively since the civil wars and, , it is estimated to be 221,715. It was a centre o ...
that borders both Sierra Leone and Liberia.
At the start of the insurgency it was mostly unknown who was causing the attacks, but in mid-October the
RFDG claimed responsibility. While there were also reports of rebels called the ''Union des Forces pour une Guinée Nouvelle'' (UFGN) and ''Union de Forces Démocratique de Guinée'' (UFDG), these were mostly like part of the RFDG.
On November 30, the rebels took control of towns near the city of
Kissidougou
Kissidougou ( N’ko: ߞߛߌ߬ߘߎ߯; pronounced like Kiss-eh-dow-goo) is a city in southern Guinea. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia during the fall and winter of ...
which they managed to hold for about a week. Fighting also took place in the refugee camps around Kissidougou.
On December 6, RUF fighters attacked
Guéckédou
Guéckédou or Guékédou is a town in southern Guinea near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders. It had a population of 79,140 in 1996 (census) but has grown massively since the civil wars and, , it is estimated to be 221,715. It was a centre o ...
from the south and east while RFDG and Liberian troops attacked from the west. The fighting in the town lasted for weeks and displaced 100,000 people. On March 9, 2001, rebels attacked the
Nongoa area in the last significant attack in the insurgency,
[{{Cite web, last=Milner, first=James, date=2005, title=The Militarization and Demilitarization of Refugee Camps in Guinea, url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-01-Armed-and-Aimless/SAS-Armed-Aimless-Part-1-Chapter-05.pdf, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115182139/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-01-Armed-and-Aimless/SAS-Armed-Aimless-Part-1-Chapter-05.pdf, archive-date=January 15, 2011, access-date=, website=, page=151] although isolated fighting was reported until 2002.
Aftermath
The fighting greatly affected Guinea's large refugee population. Refugees were harassed, attacked, forcibly recruited, and displaced by the fighting. In addition, after the killing of the head of the
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
office in
Macenta
Geography
Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea
is located in the Guinea Highlands (at ) on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou. The Nianda River joins the Makonda River near Macenta. Macenta is also loca ...
, UNHCR activities outside
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
were suspended for months, leaving refugees without assistance.
The fighting also displaced many Guineans. However, the insurgency did not manage to turn into a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
that would have caused much more damage. In February 2002, a meeting between the presidents of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
lead to a commitment to security along the countries' borders and to repatriate refugees.
References
Wars involving Guinea
Insurgencies in Africa
Conflicts in 2000
Conflicts in 2001