Camp Boiro

Although over 20 years have passed since Sekou Touré's death, his legacy continues to influence Guinean life. Some knowledge of his era is important if you want to understand present-day Guinea.

A good place to start is Camp Boiro , in the centre of Conakry on Route de Donka. Called Garde Républicaine on some maps, this military base rapidly became synonymous with the worst atrocities carried out during Touré's 'reign of terror'. From 1960 until Touré's death in 1984, thousands of prisoners were tortured or killed at Camp Boiro, including many prominent figures. Every sector of society was affected, and most Guineans you meet can tell of a family member or friend who was there. Many prisoners were held for years in isolation; others were kept in a horrifying cement holding-pen open to the elements until they died.

Boiro was not the only camp of this kind in Guinea; there was another notorious one in Kindia, as well as smaller camps throughout the country. The bodies of many of those who died at Boiro have been lost. Others are buried in unmarked graves at the overgrown Nongo cemetery on the outskirts of town beyond Kaporo. The present government is not eager to discuss this part of Guinea's history, but in 1998 a group of organisations associated with family members of victims succeeded in walling off a cemetery in Boiro to commemorate those who died.