Breaking! Coup Rocks Guinea As Military Arrests President Conde

Related stories

Just In! Nigeria’s Economy Surges with 3.13% Growth in Q1 2025, NBS Reports

By Hamilton Nwosu Nigeria’s economy has demonstrated resilience in the...

Labour Party’s Crisis Deepens As Abure-Led Faction Rejects Nenadi Usman’s Leadership

• Says its Unlawful By Abiola Olawale  The ongoing leadership crisis...

Drama as ADC’s 2023 Presidential Candidate Kachikwu Says, Obi Plans to Exit Coalition 

By Abiola Olawale Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate of...

(VIDEO) Falana, Shehu Sani, Others Blast Kemi Badenoch Over Claim on Nigerian Citizenship Laws 

By Abiola Olawale  Prominent human rights activist and a Senior...

Army putschists in Guinea said on Sunday they had arrested the president and staged a coup, in the latest political upheaval to roil 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.

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.

Earlier on Sunday, residents of the capital Conakry’s Kaloum district, the government quarter, reported hearing heavy gunfire.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for their safety, they reported seeing a number of soldiers on the streets who called on residents to return to their homes and stay there.

A Western diplomat in Conakry, who also declined to be named, said the unrest started after the dismissal of a senior commander in the special forces — provoking some of its highly trained members to rebel and occupy the presidential palace.

AFP was unable to independently confirm this account.

Later on Sunday, the head of Guinea’s military special forces Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya appeared on public television, draped in the national flag, and cited government “mismanagement” as a reason behind his actions.

The apparent coup comes amid a long period of political tension in Guinea, first spurred by Conde’s highly contested bid for a third presidential term last year.

The day before the presidential election last year, the military blocked access to Kaloum after an alleged military rebellion east of the capital.

Conde, 83, also survived an assassination attempt in 2011.

— Violent elections –

The most recent presidential poll in the nation of some 13 million people, in October 2020, was violently disputed and also marred by accusations of electoral fraud.

Conde won a controversial third term in that poll, but only after pushing through a new constitution in March 2020 that allowed him to sidestep the country’s two-term limit.

Dozens of people were killed during demonstrations against a third term for the president, often in clashes with security forces. Hundreds were also arrested.

Conde was then proclaimed president on November 7 last year — despite his main challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo as well as other opposition figures calling the election a sham.

After the poll, the government launched a crackdown and arrested several prominent opposition members for their alleged role in abetting electoral violence in the country.

A former opposition leader himself who was at one point imprisoned and sentenced to death, Conde became Guinea’s first democratically-elected leader in 2010 and won re-election in 2015.

Hopes of a new political dawn in the former French colony have withered, however, and he has been accused of drifting into authoritarianism.

AFP

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Datti Baba-Ahmed Attends Abure-Led Labour Party NEC Meeting, Vows to Reunite Obi, Otti, OthersJust In! Nigeria’s Economy Surges with 3.13% Growth in Q1 2025, NBS ReportsLabour Party's Crisis Deepens As Abure-Led Faction Rejects Nenadi Usman’s LeadershipDrama as ADC’s 2023 Presidential Candidate Kachikwu Says, Obi Plans to Exit Coalition (VIDEO) Falana, Shehu Sani, Others Blast Kemi Badenoch Over Claim on Nigerian Citizenship Laws Kenneth Okonkwo Slams Okpebholo for Threatening Peter ObiBabangida's Son Accepts Tinubu’s Appointment as BoA Chairman, Denies Rejection RumorsAlleged N80.2bn Fraud: Court Throws Out Yahaya Bello's Travel Request"Stay Away from National Assembly," Senate warns NatashaAwujale’s burial and Aso Rock’s graveyard politics By Festus AdedayoThree deaths: Gainers and losers By Bolanle BOLAWOLE(VIDEO) Applause as Billionaire Business Icon, Leemon Ikpea's State-of-the-art Medical Facility in Ewatto, Nears Completion Before you accept his proposal, By Funke EgbemodeOil Price Volatility and Higher Valuations Cause M&A Activity to SlowDrama as UNIMAID ASUU Opposes Tinubu, Vows To Contest Renaming of Varsity After Late Buhari
X whatsapp