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The West African bloc ECOWAS suspended Guinea following Sunday’s military coup in the country, calling for “an immediate return to constitutional order”. A high-level mission will be dispatched immediately, the corps said.
Special forces led by Lt. Col. Mamady Doumbouya seized power in the West African state on Sunday and arrested President Alpha Condé, triggering international condemnation.
Condé, 83, was increasingly criticized for his perceived authoritarianism, with dozens of opposition activists arrested after fiercely contested elections last year.
But the coup in Guinea has sparked fears of democratic retreat across West Africa – where military strongmen are increasingly familiar.
He drew parallels with its neighbor Mali: the Sahel state has suffered two coups d’état since August last year led by Colonel Assimi Goita, who was also commander of the special forces.
The leaders of the 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held an extraordinary video summit on Wednesday to discuss the unrest in Guinea.
At the end of the meeting, the regional leaders decided “to suspend Guinea from all decision-making bodies of ECOWAS with immediate effect”. Economic sanctions have not yet been decided.
The bloc also demanded that the Guinean army release Condé and held the coup plotters responsible for the ousted leader’s physical security.
“The Authority will examine the situation in the light of developments in the Republic of Guinea and the report of the assessment mission,” he said.
Faced with a similar situation in Mali last year, ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions on the country, but lifted them after Mali’s ruling army pledged to restore civilian rule.
Doumbouya’s address
Doumbouya, hours after seizing power in the capital Conakry, appeared on television and accused the Condé government of “endemic corruption” and “trampling on citizens’ rights”.
He has pledged to open talks on forming a new government, but it is not yet clear when, or in what form, these can take place.
Public discontent in Guinea had been mounting for months over an economy hit by Covid-19 and the leadership of Condé, who became the first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.
But last year, Condé passed a new constitution that allowed him to run for a third term in October 2020.
The move sparked mass protests in which dozens of protesters were killed. Condé won the election, but the political opposition maintained that the ballot was a sham.
The Guinean army on Tuesday released about 80 political opponents in Condé who had been arrested during the turbulent election period.
Ismaël Condé, one of the detainees, told AFP upon his release that he was praying for a “new era for Guinea”.
“We are leaving reinvigorated to continue the struggle for a free and democratic Guinea,” he added.
Unconfirmed deaths
The coup drew wide diplomatic condemnation, notably from the African Union, the European Union and the United States.
No deaths were officially reported in the putsch, although reports in Guinean media suggested that between a dozen and 20 people were killed.
AFP was unable to independently confirm the information.
The coup drew jubilation in parts of Conakry, where hundreds of residents took to the streets to applaud passing soldiers.
Cellou Dalein Diallo, the country’s main opposition leader, supported the military regime, although he called on the military to uphold the rule of law.
(with AFP)
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