Early this month, deputy leader of the junta and interim president, Gen. Sekouba Konate, pledged to pave the way for a return to civilian rule, more than a year after the military took power in a bloodless coup.
As a way out of the deepening political crisis in the country, the junta last week appointed veteran human rights activist and opposition leader, Jean-Marie Dore, as Prime Minister of a six-month transition government, leading to elections.
Under an accord signed by Camara, who is convalescing in neighbouring Burkina Faso, the interim government will include 30 members - 10 to be appointed by the opposition, 10 by the junta and 10 by the country's provincial governments. Dore is expected to work with Konate. At his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday last week, the Prime Minister said his top priorities were to organize elections and restructure the army.
Although richly endowed, bad governance by the country's autocratic rulers since independence from France in 1958 has made Guinea one of the poorest countries in the world. Camara, who seized power on December 23, 2008 after the death of long-time president and dictator Lansana Conte, had pledged not to run for President at the end of the two-year transitional period.
Initially popular when he assumed control, Camara quickly lost support when it became obvious he wanted to cling on to power.
On September 28, 2009, no fewer than 150 people were killed when the junta ordered its soldiers to attack pro-democracy marchers. Unsurprisingly, the killings drew international condemnation. Worried that the political crisis in Guinea could destabilize a fragile West African region, the African Union (AU) imposed sanctions on the leaders of the junta in October.
Guinea's latest attempt at democratic rule offers yet another ray of hope for its long-suffering and traumatized citizens, even as it must be said that like many African states, the poverty, misrule, corruption, greed, nepotism and ethnicity that have become the lot of Guineans, are largely self-inflicted.
Guineans and indeed the international community should be under no illusion that the path to democracy will be smooth sailing. If recent reports are anything to go by, Guineans should brace up for one hard, long struggle.
Camara, who agreed under intense pressure to stay in Burkina Faso and not to return to Guinea, is reportedly trying to muzzle the transitional government from the heavily guarded villa in Burkina Faso where he has been since arriving from Morocco a fortnight ago.
This meddling, many believe, could make nonsense of the interim government, more so when the accord setting up the new arrangement states specifically that no member of the military will be allowed to run.
Besides, one potential deal-breaker is the likelihood that army chiefs implicated in the September 2009 killings, will demand an amnesty for their crimes before returning to their barracks. While Konate himself was not directly implicated by the UN report into the killings, Camara and others in the junta run the risk of international prosecution for what the report described as crimes against humanity.
It is also still not clear what powers Konate is willing to cede to Dore, but it must be said that the success of the transitional government would depend on the powers given to the Prime Minister.
Notwithstanding, Guineans, the military inclusive, must close ranks to ensure that the new arrangement which could avert the risk of new bloodshed, succeeds. As Dore himself admitted, the path to stability remains littered with obstacles. The first task will be to reform the military and make it a people's army.
The interim government should also realize that it is not enough to hold elections in six months. Democratic institutions such as an independent judiciary and a functional legislature, as well as a workable and generally acceptable constitution, must be in place.
The international community must not relent in its efforts to see democracy take root in Guinea. But in the final analysis, the only panacea for stability in Guinea is credible and purposeful leadership.