Military coup in Guinea: President Conde detained by soldiers, govt dissolved and constitution suspended
The head of Guinea’s special forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, announced the takeover on state television on Sunday and urged the armed forces to back him.
Guinea’s army staged a coup d’etat on Sunday, 5 September, and took control of the West African country’s government. The Guinean special forces also arrested President Alpha Conde before declaring a nationwide curfew.
After hours of heavy gunfire rang out near the presidential palace in the capital, Guinean soldiers informed about the detention of Conde, Ouest France reported.
After seizing the airwaves, the mutinous soldiers vowed to restore democracy and gave themselves a name: The National Committee of Gathering and Development.
The military also detained several other top functionaries of the government, according to reports. The coupe leaders appeared on TV to announce the dissolution of the government and the national assembly with immediate effect. They have also suspended the constitution and sealed the borders of Guinea.
Photographs posted on social media showed Guinean President Alpha Conde surrounded by soldiers after his ‘arrest’. Later he was seen taken away from the presidential palace in a vehicle by the special forces.
International communities, including the United Nations, condemned the military takeover. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter, “Any takeover of the government by force of the gun is condemnable,” and said that he is personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. “I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde,” Guterres added. Later in the day, US State Department also released a statement and urged authorities in Guinea to avoid “extra-constitutional” actions that will only erode Guinea’s prospects for peace, stability, and prosperity.
