USAID/Guinea: Workshop Promotes Democratic Dialog Between Military, Civil Society

JULY 7, 2006

Workshop Promotes Democratic Dialog Between Military, Civil Society

At a USAID-sponsored workshop, representatives from Guinea's armed forces and police join with civil society members, union officials, journalists and elected officials to discuss their roles and responsibilities under Guinea's Constitution.

CONAKRY - Representatives of Guinea's security forces and members of civil society organizations last week engaged in discussions during a "Civilian-Military Relations" workshop that explored the roles and responsibilities of the National Assembly, the military and civil society under Guinea's Constitution.

Sponsored by the USAID/Guinea in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, the weeklong workshop was designed to promote open communication between military and civilian leaders. The chief facilitator of the workshop was Eugene Michael Mensch II, a former U.S. Army Colonel and Africa Program Manager for the Center for Civilian-Military Relations at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

The 48 participants discussed a variety of topics, including:

The Legal Framework for Civilian-Military Relations in Guinea
The Strategic Direction Development Process
Roles and Missions for Security Forces
Civic Education Programs
Intelligence Organizations in Democratic Societies
Security Forces and the Military
Military Professionalism in a Democracy
Community Security, and
Security Forces and the Media

Initial discussions during the workshops indicated that participants still had fresh memories of Guinea's recent general strike, during which violence claimed the lives of several people. "Those events have underlined what's been going on," Mensch said.

"Here, there's a real tension between civil society and the security forces," said Mensch, recalling the "ugly" talks in the first civilian-military workshop he facilitated in February 2002. "I think the wounds are a little bit fresher here than they are in some places."

Interestingly, the participants in last week's sessions demonstrated keen interest in applying what they learned during the workshop to the real world. "Clearly, we're trying to build on the past," Mensch said. "This group has been more focused on what they're going to do after the seminar."

The action plan calls for creation of a representative committee to follow-up and implement recommendations arising from the workshop. The committee also was charged with organizing debates on the discussions and results of the workshop in French and the national languages of Guinea at regional meetings and on regional and local radio.

In coming months, the committee intends to engage in periodic consultations with the Guinean government and to organize similar workshops at the regional level. Longer term, the group expects to launch a nationwide civic education campaign.

Despite the events of the recent past, it is a good sign that a broad range of participants attended the workshop and committed to continue action on civilian-military relations, said Mensch, adding, "You can't say this stuff too often to too many people."

Story by Richard Stirba