Aftermath of coup d’etat in Guinea:ECOWAS threatens Guinea expulsion…UN, AU join to condemn coup, demands release of President Conde

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, has demanded an immediate release of the President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, from military custody and a return of the country to constitutional order. 

The President made the demands following a military insurgency in the Guinean capital of Conakry last Sunday which appears to have toppled the government of the country’s longest serving President.

According to media reports, gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in Conakry on Sunday morning. Hours later, videos shared on social media showed President Conde in a room surrounded by soldiers. 

The leader of the insurgents, Mamady Doumbouya, announced on state television in Guinea that poverty and endemic corruption drove his forces to remove President Conde from office.

“We have dissolved the government and institutions,” he said and pledged to rewrite the country’s constitution together with the people of Guinea. 

President Akufo-Addo, in a statement on Sunday evening, condemned the development in Guinea.

“ECOWAS demands respect for the physical safety of the President of the Republic, Professor Alpha Condé, and his immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of all arrested persons. ECOWAS also demands a return to constitutional order on pain of sanctions.”

“ECOWAS reaffirms its objection to any unconstitutional political change. We ask the Guinean defence and security forces to remain in a constitutional posture, and express our solidarity with the Guinean people and their government,” the statement said.

On its part, the African Union (AU) has called for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde and also condemned the military action against the government by the Special Forces.

“The current President of the African Union, Félix Tshisekedi and the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemn any seizure of power by force and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde,” the continental body said in a press statement.

“They invite the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to meet urgently to examine the new situation in Guinea and to take appropriate measures in the circumstances,” the release added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday, condemned the coup d’etat in Guinea and demanded the immediate release of President Alpha Condé.

The US State Department issued a statement headed, “On the military seizure of power in Guinea,” and said: “The United States condemns today’s events in Conakry.”

It said violence and any extra-constitutional measures would only erode Guinea’s prospects for peace, stability and prosperity, and added: “These actions could limit the ability of the United States and Guinea’s other international partners to support thecountry as it navigates a path toward national unity and a brighter future for the Guinean people.”

President Conde was detained by the Special Forces earlier on Sunday, with Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who has reportedly been identified as the head of the action, announcing the dissolution of the government, suspension of the constitution and the closure of the country’s borders.

Lt Col Doumbouya said the army had been forced to act because of poverty, endemic corruption, abuse of power and a lack of respect for democratic principles. The announcement followed heavy gunfire near the presidential palace in the capital Conakry.

Amateur videos have been circulating on social media showing President Conde among soldiers, with the country’s capital Conakry filled with troops.

BY YAW KYEI