Guinea

Republic of Guinea

The Republic of Guinea (République de Guinée) was formerly French Guinea, and is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbor Guinea-Bissau. The region was claimed as a colonial territory of France in the 1890s, part of a greater region known as French West Africa. The nation was granted independence in October of 1958, and has since been governed by autocratic rulers.

The Republic of Guinea Armed Forces (Forces Armées Guinéennes, or FAG) consist of the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Republican Guard, and the National Gendarmerie. There are nearly 20,000 active duty personnel among the five branches. The military has been directly involved in regime changes several times since the late 1960s, with the latest coup d'etat in 2008 effectively placing Captain Moussa Dadis Camara in power with an expectation of presidential elections in 2010. The Milices Populaires (Popular Militia) act as a counter-balance to the armed forces, providing security against coup d'etat and greater protection for individual villages. There are reputedly 100 militia members in each of the country's 4,000 villages. Historically, there were no indigenous Guinean camouflage patterns, and personnel had always worn designs developed by other nations. This seems to have changed in the 21st century, although documentation still shows the use of more comment camouflage themes.

In September 2021, the democratically-elected president Alpha Conde was captured and removed from office by a coup d'etat led by the commander of the Army's Special Forces Group, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. This action was universally condemned by the United Nations, the African Union, and ECOWAS. The military junta has officially adopted the name Comité national du rassemblement et du développement or CNRD (National Committee of Reconciliation and Development). Doumboya was sworn in as interim president on 1 October 2021, and retains that position to this day, despite assurances that it would take only eighteen months to steer the country back to civilian control. Internationally, Guinea remains in a state of limbo as the government and the constitution were dissolved by the CNRD, leaving control firmly in the hands of the military.

The use of camouflage by Guineean forces has been lacking in uniformity until very recently. Photographic documentation suggests a history of individuals in the same unit (both Army and Gendarmerie) wearing a multitude of camouflage patterns at the same time. Additionally, high ranking officers and even some commissioned soldiers have been known to wear privately-obtained uniforms in a variety of camouflage designs never officially approved for wear, and some of which may have been traded or purchased from military personnel in other countries. This reality has made documentation of approved designs more challenging than with many countries, even for Africa. Nevertheless, it has been possible to draw reasonable conclusions as to what patterns have been worn within a rough time frame, and even single out certain units or branches of service that were issued them.

Camouflage Patterns of Guinea

• One of the earliest documented camouflage designs worn by this nation was a variation of the classic French tenue du leopard with a grey colorway. Some versions appear on video footage to have a more greenish tinge. The pattern is most likely either of Cuban or Yugoslavian origin. Use of this design was documented during the 1984 coup d'etat, but may have been in use considerably earlier.

• The Chinese woodland camouflage design was worn previously by some units, possibly only the Groupement Forces Speciales (GFS). or Special Forces Group. Photographs suggest the pattern fell into disuse by late 2016.

• US m81 woodland camouflage uniforms in several styles and variations were in circulation with many units from the 1990s until around 2020.

• Units of the Guinean Armed Forces have also worn the US-designed tricolor desert pattern, both domestically and (more commonly) while deploying with the United Nations.

• Copies of French tenue de leopard have been in use with this country for a number of years, most prominently the version seen here produced in Asia. During the 2021 Coup it was evidently in use primarily with members of the Special Forces Group, and later by the CNRD. Its use would continue for another year before being replaced with the current issue digital camouflage pattern.

• A copy of the French CE woodland design in different uniform styles has also been worn by both the Army and Gendarmerie, although after the coup in 2021 it appears to have largely been phased out.

• By contrast, copies of the French Daguet desert design have been in use both before, and following the coup d'etat, although after 2021 it appears to have been adopted specifically by units of the GFS (Special Forces Group).

• In 2010, some members of the Gendarmerie were observed wearing ex-German Army flecktarn pattern camouflage uniforms.

• In service since at least 2016, members of the National Police and the Army have worn a copy of the USMC temperate MARPAT camouflage pattern.

• The Sécurité Présidentielle (Presidential Security Unit) wears a garish camouflage-type pattern, consisting of blotches in black, dark olive, lime green and royal blue on a white background tinged with yellow.

• First introduced in late 2019, and seen widely during the September 2021 coup d'Etat, this pixelated design is being worn by members of the Groupement de Forces Spéciales, which in the past has also worn copies of woodland and lizard patterns. As of 2022, this pixelated design appears to have been adopted by the entire Army (CNRD).

• Introduced around June 2022 and incorporating the same pixelated design with a blue-dominant color palette, the pattern seen here is worn by the Guinean National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale guinéenne) and has largely replaced previously issued designs.

• In charge of preserving and protecting natural resources, the Direction Générale des Conservateurs de la Nature Brigade Nationale employs several hundred forest police officers, many of whom wear an interesting camouflage design featuring sparse medium green rain flecks on a light green background. The pattern is lacking contrast and actually appears solid green at a distance.