GUINEA: On 22 December 2008, President Lasana Conte died at the age of 74 after a prolonged illness. He came to power in 1984 and was elected president in 1993. He won re-elections in 1998 and 2003.

Hours after his death, a military junta led by Capt. Moussa Camara announced the coup via state radio. Capt. Camara has a diploma in law and economics from the University of Conakry, and joined the military in 1990. On 23 December, Camara's 32-member National Council for Democracy and Development announced his takeover of the presidency until a vote is held in 2010.

The coup triggered condemnation from the African Union, the United Nations, the United States, the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union and other nations.

The United States, in an official statement released by the Embassy in Conakry, rejected the announcement and called for an immediate return to civilian rule. In addition, the U.S. stated that the human rights of all citizens must be respected, particularly those of Prime Minister Souare and the members of his government.

However, on 24 December, Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare and his Ministers reported to a military base in the suburbs of the capital, as instructed by the junta. He later expressed support of Captain Camara's regime by calling the junta chief "Mr. President."

Guinea, a nation of 9.4 million people, is divided among three main ethnic groups, with the Peuhl, or Fulani, accounting for 40 percent, the Malinke 30 percent and Soussou 20 percent, according to U.S. government data. Former President Conte was a Soussou, while the military faction that seized power consists of Malinke officers.

Guinea is a former French colony and the world's fourth- biggest producer of bauxite, an ore used to make the aluminum precursor alumina, after Australia, Brazil and China. Bauxite and related industries account for about 80 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings. It has a gross domestic product of $4.53 billion, according to the IMF.