Guinea’s leader Alpha Conde often tells reporters that he is the only one who can lead the country. He also claims that the military will not overthrow him.
On Sunday, he was shown to be a liar.
A special group of special forces he was startled a royal palace in the capital, Conakry, is building the 83-year-old president. A few hours later, the guerrilla leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya appeared on Radio Television Guineenne, hiding in a Guinean flag, and introduced himself as a new leader in Guinea.
The putsch in Guinea has left the country in a state of shock, the West African economy has threatened sanctions and the price of aluminum has skyrocketed over the past decade. Guinea is the world’s largest producer of bauxite, a mineral used for the production of aluminum.
Local leaders immediately condemned the seizure of power, urging the leaders to restore order and release Conde.
In Conakry, new warlords were quick to assert their political and economic credentials their good intentions.
A unitary national government should be set up to lead a change in civilian rule, Doumbouya told members of the government that was defeated on Monday.
The new administration honors mining agreements, and calls on companies to continue operating, he said. The land and sea borders closed during the seizure reopened within 24 hours.
This, however, did not confirm the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which continued to suspend Guinea from all its electoral bodies. Two days later, the African Union followed suit.
Conde in 2010 became Guinea’s first democratically elected leader, a victory that seems to mark the end of decades of tyranny of the country’s first president, Sekou Toure and Lansana Conte, who have held office for 26 and 24 years respectively.
Conde was re-elected in 2015. But he became increasingly black after passing a legal referendum, backed by Russia, which Conde said allowed him to win a third election in October 2020, which he won.
Sidy Yansane, a journalist and researcher in Conakry, said Conde had injured himself.
“Conde was unpopular, even though people still voted for him. With the third position, Conde went a long way, ”he said by telephone.
Questions are approaching
In a statement to the country on Sunday, Doumbouya said Conde’s ouster was significant and blamed his leadership for Guinea’s poverty, corruption, mismanagement and lack of development. Doumbouya said the change in governance in the country was very important.
“When you look at our streets, our hospitals, you realize it’s time to wake up,” Doumbouya said. What he did not say was when a change government could be established.
“Right now, people are just happy to see Conde gone,” Yansane said. “But soon, they will have to see what they can do to the junta; billboards are about to change, including a schedule for change. ”
So far, weekly coup d’état has not been addressed. Crowds cheered the putchists as they marched through Conakry earlier this week.
Sally Bilaly Sow, a 29-year-old blogger and freedom fighter, said the shooting could be an opportunity to reform and rehabilitate government agencies.
“The important thing now is not to rush. Providing timely leadership to change and prepare for new elections, ”Sow said by telephone from Conakry.
Cellou Dalein Diallo, the only one who challenged Conde in the 2020 election contested by the opposition, said he was ready to take part but would not give a deadline to change and return to normal rule.
The unification of Guinea and the capture of four West African troops this year following two militants close to Mali – the second most recent in May this year – is a suspicious sequence in Chad to raise concerns about the region’s backward democratic process.
In Mali, a military-led minority government has 18 months to go before elections that are supposed to return the country to the control of the common people.
In Chad, President Mahamat Deby, who replaced his father Idriss Deby in April, appears to be not rushing to hand over power to the military.
The ECOWAS delegation to Conakry on Friday said their first meetings with incumbent leaders were “good”.
The delegation also met with Conde, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said, referring to the ousted leader as “former president” which shows that the region does not want to be reinstated.