Guinea: 517 days after the disappearance of Habib Marouane Camara, his family breaks their silence on World Press Freedom Day

While Guinean authorities celebrated World Press Freedom Day with speeches intended to reassure the public about the state of the press in Guinea, the family of journalist Habib Marouane Camara, who has been missing for 517 days, continues to live in anguish and uncertainty.

While institutional leaders speak of a vision favorable to a free press, the journalist's relatives denounce a much more painful reality.

On the sidelines of this celebration, the president of the High Authority for Communication (HAC), Boubacar Yacine Diallo, affirmed that President Mamadi Doumbouya would bring a clear vision in favor of press freedom in Guinea.

But for the wife of the missing journalist, these statements sound like a profound contradiction.

"This day has no reason to exist for us."

Mariama Lamarana Diallo, wife of Habib Marouane Camara, expressed her pain and incomprehension at the situation. "World Press Freedom Day? Meanwhile, my journalist husband has been missing for 517 days now. Day after day, every passing minute, an entire family continues to strain to hear news of their missing journalist," she said, her voice filled with emotion.

Beyond the professional drama, she describes a silent family tragedy. "There are children who grow up without their father. The most painful thing is that one of his daughters has never known her dad's presence. She has never even uttered the word 'dad,' simply because she is not used to it," she lamented.

A family torn apart by the wait

According to Ms. Diallo, the journalist's disappearance has also plunged his parents into deep distress. "Hundreds of kilometers from Conakry, his elderly parents live in constant anguish. They no longer sleep peacefully, consumed by unanswered questions: Where is their son? How is he?" she testified.

For the family, freedom of the press cannot be reduced to a slogan or an official celebration as long as the mystery surrounding this disappearance persists.

"For me, for us, this World Press Freedom Day has no reason to exist at the moment," his wife concluded.

The Habib Marouane Camara case continues to fuel questions about the fate of the journalist, and the expectations of his loved ones remain entirely intact.