The United Nations has voiced deep concern following reports that several family members of Guinean artist and prominent opposition figure Elie Kamano have been abducted in the capital, Conakry.<\/p>\n
According to accounts from local sources, armed men stormed Kamano\u2019s residence and seized four relatives, including two of his underage sons. Their whereabouts remain unknown.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker T\u00fcrk, urged Guinean authorities to ensure the \u201cimmediate and safe return\u201d of the victims and to launch a thorough investigation into the incident, noting growing fears about the safety of political dissidents and their families.<\/p>\n
Kamano, who has been living in exile, appeared in a video released on social media appealing for the release of his relatives. He alleged that President Mamady Doumbouya bears responsibility for the abduction and accused the authorities of attempting to silence him for political reasons. He further called on the leadership in Conakry to free his family \u201cand all the other people who have been abducted for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guinea has been governed by a military junta since the September 2021 coup that removed former president Alpha Cond\u00e9 from power. The UN reports a rise in arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and intimidation targeting opposition supporters ahead of the country\u2019s first post-coup elections scheduled for December. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court approved Doumbouya\u2019s bid for the presidency, while former prime minister Lansana Kouyat\u00e9 and ex-minister Ousmane Kaba were barred from contesting.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United Nations has voiced deep concern following reports that several family members of Guinean artist and prominent opposition figure Elie Kamano have been abducted in the capital, Conakry. According to accounts from local sources, armed men stormed Kamano\u2019s residence and seized four relatives, including two of his underage sons. Their whereabouts remain unknown. A<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,23],"tags":[282,2274,803,243,1365,2272,969],"class_list":{"0":"post-14555","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-world-news","9":"tag-elections","10":"tag-guinea","11":"tag-human-rights","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-security","14":"tag-un","15":"tag-west-africa"},"yoast_head":"\n