Guinea: the islands of Loos now have their destiny in hand (2/2)
Audio 02:26
Abou Samake, the mayor of Kassa Island.
© RFI / Matthias Raynal
By: Matthias Raynal
2 min
They have a clear view of the skyline of Conakry and its brand new towers.
Only five kilometers from the mainland, the inhabitants of the islands of Loos nonetheless live in the greatest poverty.
In the spring, the archipelago became the 6th urban municipality of Conakry.
A new administrative statute which could improve living conditions on the islands.
Reporting.
Advertising
From our correspondent in Conakry,
Loos is an isolated archipelago, which is accessed by canoe.
And it is not without risk.
"
In 2012, in August, frankly we were hit hard by this accident,"
says Abou Samaké, the mayor of the islands of Loos
.
Since then, there has been a national leap.
"
Nine years ago, the death of about thirty people in the sinking of a boat forced the State to react.
A boat connection is in place.
But for several months, the ship has been under repair, explains the mayor.
“
The main activity is fishing here!
"
We are in Kassa.
The island closest to the mainland also lacks schools and toilets.
She struggles to manage her waste.
The inhabitants have neither electricity nor running water.
"The town has taken power from the sub-prefecture"
In this context, the change of statute voted by the deputies, on March 16, represented a considerable step forward.
"
The town has taken over the sub-prefecture,"
says Abou Samaké.
Since then, contacts have not ceased to fall, reconciliations with the UN institutions, not to mention those of the European Union.
"
The islands of Loos can now defend their projects themselves in front of international donors who have started to look into health infrastructure.
The finding is alarming.
Kassa is the only one of the islands to have a doctor.
It has the best endowed health center in the archipelago.
And yet.
"
It was built during the time of colonization: the small building cannot contain all the services
", recalls the mayor of the city.
Few resources, many patients: pregnant women and malaria patients that day.
Break with marginalization
For civil society, it is time for that to change.
It is mobilizing to support the new authorities.
“
You imagine yourself, a locality of this type which has its specificity,
underlines Alexandre Cole, member of the council of UDIL, the Union for the development of the archipelago of the islands of Loos
.
We fought to have financial autonomy.
Now that this autonomy is there, I give you a few years, he
adds with pride
, you will not recognize the islands.
"
The coming to power of the junta created hope among some islanders.
To break with the marginalization and exclusion that have afflicted their archipelago for so many years.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Guinea