Guinea: the army arrested President Alpha Condé and attempted a coup d’etat | UN secretary demanded his release

Soldiers riot in Guinea, West Africa, and they claim to have arrested President Alpha Condé, dissolved Congress and suspended the country’s Constitution – formerly French Guinea – according to one of the leaders of the revolt, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. However, the Guinean ministry of defense assured to have succeeded in repelling the attack against the president. The UN secretary general, meanwhile, condemned what happened and called for the president’s release.

“We have decided, after arresting the president, who is currently with us, to abolish the current Constitution, to dissolve the institutions; and also to the government, as well as the closure of land and air borders,” Doumbouya said in a statement. message. published by the Africa.Guinee media on Facebook which was not broadcast on television in this country.

“We call on our brothers in arms to unity, in order to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the Guinean people,” said the soldier.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, condemned what happened on his Twitter account and demanded the release of the president.

“I am following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of power by the government by force of arms and I call for the immediate release of the president, ”Guterres wrote.

Confused institutional situation

Despite the assertions of the insurgent soldiers, the Ministry of Defense had assured, for its part, in a press release that “the Presidential Guard, supported by the defense and security forces, loyal and republican, contained the threat and repelled the group of attackers “. Sources close to the government told local Guinea 7 that “the president is safe and sound”.

The information portal Guinea News reported that from the early morning of this Sunday shots rang out in Kaloum, the commercial and administrative district of Conarky, the capital, as well as in the immediate vicinity of the presidential palace.

Access has been blocked, while the military themselves and even foreign embassies urged citizens not to go out on the streets while waiting for what was happening to be clarified.

Several coup attempts against Condé

Según la revista francesa Young Africa, This is not the first time that Alpha Condé has faced a coup attempt: in 2011, his house was the target of an assault.

After coming to power in 2010, Alpha Condé, 83, was re-elected in 2020 for a third term after controversial constitutional reform and elections deemed fraudulent by the opposition.

After the elections, there were clashes in which opposition in Condé reported that 30 people died when defense and security forces fired at passers-by and protesters.

In addition, 325 people were detained until October 31, according to the prosecutor of the Conakry Court of Appeal, but Amnesty International maintains that after that date there were other arrests, including several members of political parties. ‘opposition.