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Vultures gather

Military officers and regional warlords jockey for power as the President's condition worsens

The vultures are gathering as President Lansana Conté is reported to be slipping in and out of a diabetic coma. A mass prison breakout in Conakry on 15 May has added to the sense of the old order crumbling. Immediately after Conté's demise, the military high command will take real power, although it may allow civilian politicians some limited powers in a transitional arrangement. In the last change of regime in 1984, General Conté seized absolute power after the death of the dictatorial Independence leader, Ahmed Sékou Touré....

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Vultures gather

Military officers and regional warlords jockey for power as the President's condition worsens

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