Son of Exiled Guinean Opposition Blogger and Opposition Figure Kidnapped in Conakry

The son of a prominent Guinean opposition video blogger living in exile has been kidnapped in the capital Conakry, according to reports confirmed by AFP, marking a sharp escalation in the military junta’s campaign against dissenting voices.

The Turn the Page (TLP) collective identified the victim as Mohamed Camara, son of Ansou Damaro Camara, a well-known YouTuber who fled Guinea after the 2020 military coup that brought Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya to power. Mohamed Camara was abducted on the night of April 28 in the Kissosso neighbourhood, a relatively upscale district in the capital’s suburbs.

Also kidnapped on the same night was Ela Cisse, a female opposition member, according to the TLP collective which called for their immediate release.

Rights groups say the targeting of family members of exiled dissidents has become a hallmark of the Doumbouya regime’s crackdown on opposition figures. Ansou Damaro Camara has continued to produce critical video content from abroad, documenting alleged government corruption and human rights abuses.

Guinea has been ruled by a military junta since the September 2021 coup, which overthrew President Alpha Conde. The junta has faced international pressure to return the country to civilian rule, but presidential elections have been repeatedly postponed.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented dozens of cases of enforced disappearances targeting opposition figures and their relatives since the coup. The junta has denied these allegations.

The international community, including the African Union and ECOWAS, has called on Guinea’s military authorities to respect basic rights and release those detained without charge.