Guinea, one year after the election of Alpha Condé

Our reporters Willy Bracciano and Fatimata Wane went to Guinea, one year after the country's first ever free elections. They report on a nation struggling to get back on its feet after 50 years of authoritarian rule.

REPORTERS

Fifty years of dictatorship have shattered a land rich in natural resources - bauxite, iron, gold, diamonds, fertile farmland and numerous rivers. Alpha Condé, who was elected president just over a year ago after Guinea’s first free elections, faces the uphill battle of building a country ravaged by neglect.

The new head of state also urgently needs to restore the army’s tarnished image, which stands accused of terrorising the population on a daily basis and committing atrocities.

Condé also has the arduous task of building a democracy from scratch. But he has yet to organise parliamentary elections, a situation the opposition has labelled scandalous.

Finally, after last year’s presidential elections were marred by ethnic violence between Malinke supporters of Condé and Peuhl backers of his rival Cellou Dalein Diallo, the new president must try to reconcile with all Guineans. In Guinea like elsewhere, ethnicity is a formidable political weapon, even if the Peulh, the Malinke, the Susu and the Baga now co-exist harmoniously on a daily basis. This cohesion remains fragile, and could unravel if the new government does not keep its promises.

25/05/2012 - REPORTERS

Egypt after the revolution

Egypt has just held the first free and democratic presidential election of its history. The run-off will take place mid-June. Since the fall of Mubarak, the country has been run by the military, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. France 24 went to meet Egyptian voters.

18/05/2012 - REPORTERS

EXCLUSIVE - Sudan: The Blue Nile’s Forgotten Rebellion

Since September, war has been raging between the Sudanese Revolutionary Front and the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Blue Nile State. FRANCE 24's James André, Chady Chlela and Stéphanie Braquehais went to the frontline with the rebels.

11/05/2012 - REPORTERS

No more 'Made in China'?

They’re the worker bees of China’s labour market – the four million poorly paid men and women who drive Guangdong’s massive textile industry. But now they’re demanding higher pay and better conditions, and in response companies are relocating to countries where labour is even cheaper – like Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh. "Made in China" is a worldwide brand, but are we now witnessing the beginning of its end?

04/05/2012 - REPORTERS

Greece's makeshift economy

With wages slashed, companies going bankrupt and mass unemployment, Greece has borne the full brunt of the economic crisis. Like Yannis, everyone has to find a way to feed their family. Throughout the country, hustles, scams and under-the counter payments are fuelling a black economy in which anything goes.

27/04/2012 - REPORTERS

Black gold brings hope to French Guiana

French Guiana, an overseas department bordering Brazil, is one of France's poorest regions, where unemployment is at a record level. But with oil being discovered, locals are starting to hope for a better life. Will they benefit from the black gold?