Guinea: Opposition Video Blogger’s Son Kidnapped Part of Wider Crackdown

The Latest Incident
Guinean video blogger Ansou Damaro Camara, known online as “General 5 etoiles”, announced on Facebook that his son and his son’s friend had been kidnapped. The online personality is highly critical of Guinea’s authoritarian government and lives in exile in the United States.

At the same time, former Guinean prime minister and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo announced that an official from his party, Thierno Sadou Bah a member of the federal bureau of his UFDG party in Liberia had been missing in Conakry since Tuesday, April 21.

A Pattern of Targeting Families
Diallo, who himself lives in exile, stated: “The modus operandi, as well as the practice of making relatives disappear in order to get at critical voices residing abroad, clearly indicates that the junta is behind these kidnappings.” In recent months, the disappearance of relatives of government opponents particularly those in exiles have become especially frequent. The mother of exiled political opponent and former minister Tibou Camara and her sister were kidnapped in March by men in military fatigues and released five days later.

The Bigger Crisis
Since the rise to power of President Mamady Doumbouya in 2021 following a coup, abductions of opposition figures have become systemic, with enforced disappearances now on the rise.

Among the most prominent cases: civil society activists Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah were arrested in July 2024 and have not been seen since. A coalition of 25 Guinean and international human rights organizations including Amnesty International has pressed Guinean authorities to “urgently reveal” their whereabouts.

Other victims include journalist Habib Marouane Camara, abducted in December 2024, and lawyer Mohamed Traoré, similarly abducted by armed men in June 2025.

International Concern
The United States Embassy in Guinea released a statement denouncing the “uptick in detentions targeting journalists and civil society leaders” and urging the government to swiftly investigate. (Human Rights Watch) The United Nations has also condemned the disappearances.

The situation in Guinea paints a grim picture of a military junta using kidnappings including of family members as a weapon to silence dissent both at home and in the diaspora.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.
International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP
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