…as Nigeria Condemns putsch
Soldiers in Guinea led by Col Mamady Doumbouya, said on Sunday they had arrested the president and staged a coup, in the latest political upheaval in the impoverished West African country, as the government insisted it had repelled the attack.
“We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution,” said a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers toting assault rifles in a video sent to AFP.
The officer also said that Guinea’s land and air borders have been shut and the government dissolved.
This came as Nigeria, West Africa’s biggest country, condemned the putsch, asked soldiers to restore constitutional government in the country.
But the situation remained unclear as Conde’s government released a rival statement saying that an attack on the presidential palace by special forces had been “repulsed”.
Another video sent to AFP by the putschists showed a rumpled-looking President Alpha Conde sitting on a sofa, surrounded by troops. He refused to answer a question from one soldier about whether he was being mistreated.
Guinea — one of the world’s poorest countries despite boasting significant mineral resources — has long been beset by political instability.
After seizing the airwaves, the mutinous Guinean soldiers vowed to restore democracy and gave themselves a name: The National Committee of Gathering and Development.
Conde’s whereabouts were not immediately known. Col. Doumbouya, who spoke to the nation, made no mention of the 83-year-old president, whose popularity has plummeted since he sought a third term last year.
“The personalisation of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one man; we will entrust it to the people,” Doumbouya said, adding that the constitution would also be dissolved and borders closed for one week.
Doumbouya, who has headed a Special Forces unit in the military, said he was acting in the best interests of the nation of over 12.7 million people.
“The duty of a soldier is to save the country,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the Nigerian government on Sunday said that it was “saddened by the apparent coup d’etat that has taken place in the Republic of Guinea today in clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol and Good Governance”.
The Nigerian government spoke in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and signed by Esther Sunsuwa, the spokesperson for the ministry.
“The Nigerian government condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property,” the statement concluded.
