On Sunday, the soldiers of Guinea’s army staged a coup; in so doing, they deposed the nation’s leader and abolished the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
In a video announcement aired on state television on September 5, the coup commander, Guinean Col. Mamady Doumbouya, announced they had abolished government and organizations. They later called on their comrades in arms to come and join the citizens.
Doumbouya, a former French legionary, conveyed the following message: political life has become too intimate. We shall no longer commit politics to one individual, but to the people.
On Sunday, footage appeared on social networks showing Guinea President Alpha Conde arrested by Guinean forces at an unidentified place. An aide to President Conde later verified to CNN that he was detained by the Guinean military.
Reuters announced on Monday that Guinea’s army arrested and prohibited other top leaders from departing the nation.
Damn! the people look happy about it. we hope and pray it ends peacefully. End of an era…😁#GuineaCoup
#Guineeconakry pic.twitter.com/o73cWimSzy— Saffa Jnr🇸🇱 (@saffajnr) September 5, 2021
On September 6, Doumbouya convened Conde’s cabinet and other senior government officials to an unprecedented session; this happened inside Guinea’s national legislature in Conakry, when he explained his apparent plot to establish a new administration for the North African nation.
After a discussion to determine the major structure of the change, a government of national reconciliation will be formed to spearhead the transition. At the conclusion of this transition stage, Doumbouya said they would set the standard for a modern generation in government and economic growth.
There was not a specified timeline for the steps. Doumbouya also instructed all members of the government attending the Conakry summit to relinquish their official party cars to the Guinean military.
A coup attempt is underway in Guinea.
Special forces rebelled are already inside the Presidential Palace.The President seems to be arrested, soldiers taking pictures on him.
#GuinéeConakry pic.twitter.com/3jytzrl6J8
— Magombe (@ncambirwa) September 5, 2021
The Coup Didn’t Go Down Without Violence
On Monday, Reuters reported that light traffic returned and several stores opened all around the major administrative region of Kaloum in Conakry. Conakry had seen intense shootings on Sunday.
Then, on September 5, Guinean special operations forces “fought soldiers allied to Conde” in an overwhelmingly successful attempt to arrest the leader of the country, according to the news agency.
Following Conde’s detention on Sunday, the Guinean military shuttered all of the nation’s air and ground crossings but commanded their opening by Monday. The news of Guinea’s coup d’etat and accompanying border closures sent aluminum prices to a 10-year peak on Monday, as the instability promised to impair the soft metal’s supply lines.
The new man in charge of Guinea Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the head of the country's special forces. #GuineaCoup
pic.twitter.com/bNo2Zzxs5x— Calvin Mutsinzi (@CalvinMutsinzi) September 5, 2021
Guinea is rich in minerals and has the world’s biggest bauxite stockpile, which is then used to make aluminum.
Why the Coup?
Considering the country’s mineral richness, Guinea’s indigenous populace has been impoverished for decades. Doumbouya declared on Sunday that he and his military group felt obligated to destroy the government in order to tackle the nation’s “poverty and rampant criminality.”
As per Sky News in the United Kingdom, President Conde’s support “plunged” since he won a contentious third tenure in office in October 2020. Last October, Conde was re-elected after amending the Constitution to enable him to run again, notwithstanding violent resistance protests that lost dozens of lives.
