Kissidougou
Encyclopedia
Kissidougou is a city in southern Guinea
. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture
, and had a population of 66,018 in the 1996 census. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone
and Liberia
during the fall and winter of 2000, many people from the city of Guéckédou fled to Kissidougou and stayed. Today the population is estimated to be 119,909 (2008 est).
The town is served by Kissidougou Airport
.
plantation
s and large expanses of nearby forest
. Other attractions in the city include a museum
, a football team
and a major bridge
.
Although the market is open 7 days a week, it is especially busy on Tuesdays.
The word Kissidougou means a place of refuge in the language of the Kissi, the largest local ethnic group.
The musician Mory Kanté
is from Kissidougou.
.
Also, many Toma
people live in this region, especially between Kissidougou and Macenta
.
camps began with the transfer of temporary refugee settlements to new camps in the Albadariah sub-prefecture of Kissidougou.
Throughout 2001, there were more than 400,000 refugees in Guinea, many in Kissidougou. This massive influx of Sierra Leonian refugees placed great stress on the government of Guinea as well as upon international aid organizaitons ability to provide a stable, secure refuge.
There were widespread accounts of sexual violence throughout the camps, despite the best efforts of the international relief organizations.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture
Kissidougou Prefecture
Kissidougou is a prefecture located in the Faranah Region of Guinea. The capital is Kissidougou. The prefecture covers an area of 8,872 km.² and has an estimated population of 214,000.-Sub-prefectures:...
, and had a population of 66,018 in the 1996 census. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
during the fall and winter of 2000, many people from the city of Guéckédou fled to Kissidougou and stayed. Today the population is estimated to be 119,909 (2008 est).
The town is served by Kissidougou Airport
Kissidougou Airport
Kissidougou Airport is an airport serving Kissidougou in Guinea.-Accidents and incidents:*On 16 January 1984, Douglas C-47 9Q-CYD of Transport Aérien Zairois departed the runway following an engine failure on take-off. Dry grass was set on fire when it came into contact with the hot engine and the...
.
Kissidougou City
Founded in the eighteenth century, the city is known for the coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s and large expanses of nearby forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. Other attractions in the city include a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, a football team
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
and a major bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
.
Although the market is open 7 days a week, it is especially busy on Tuesdays.
The word Kissidougou means a place of refuge in the language of the Kissi, the largest local ethnic group.
The musician Mory Kanté
Mory Kanté
Mory Kanté is a vocalist and player of the kora harp. He was born into one of Guinea's best known families of griot musicians...
is from Kissidougou.
Ethnicity
Besides the dominant Kissi, there are of course many other ethnic groups living in Kissidougou, including the malinké and pularPular language
Pular is a Fula language spoken primarily by Fula people in the Fouta Jalon area in Guinea. It is also spoken in parts of Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. There are a small number of speakers in Mali. Pular is spoken by 2.5 million Guineans, about 28% of the national population. This makes...
.
Also, many Toma
Toma
-Places:In Burkina Faso*Toma, Burkina Faso, town in Nayala province*Toma Department, department in Nayala province, Burkina Faso*Toma, Banwa, town in Burkina Faso*Toma Koura, village in Tansila Department of Banwa Province, Burkina FasoIn Japan...
people live in this region, especially between Kissidougou and Macenta
Macenta
Macenta is a town in southeastern Guinea, founded by the Toma people. Population 88,376 .-Geography:Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea. It is located in the Guinea Highlands on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou...
.
Refugee Crisis
Throughout the 1990s, the government of Guinea, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), provided international protection and assistance to Sierra Leonian and Liberian refugees residing along Guinea’s southern border. In December 2000 and January 2001, a series of cross border attacks resulted in a massive shift in refugee (and Guinean) populations. Many fled to the Kissidougou and N'Zérékoré Prefectures in the Forest Region of Guinea. In February 2001, relocation of the Gueckédou and FaranahFaranah
Faranah is a town and sub-prefecture in central Guinea, lying by the River Niger.Population 87,083 . The town is mainly inhabited by the Mandinka people.- History :...
camps began with the transfer of temporary refugee settlements to new camps in the Albadariah sub-prefecture of Kissidougou.
Throughout 2001, there were more than 400,000 refugees in Guinea, many in Kissidougou. This massive influx of Sierra Leonian refugees placed great stress on the government of Guinea as well as upon international aid organizaitons ability to provide a stable, secure refuge.
There were widespread accounts of sexual violence throughout the camps, despite the best efforts of the international relief organizations.