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2021 Guinean coup d'état

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2021 Guinean coup d'état

Map of Guinea.
Date5 September 2021
Location
Conakry, Guinea
9°31′N 13°42′W / 9.517°N 13.700°W / 9.517; -13.700
Result

President Alpha Condé captured.

Constitution and Government declared dissolved.
Belligerents
Guinea Government Guinea Military faction
Commanders and leaders
Alpha Condé Mamady Doumbouya
2021 Guinean coup d'état is located in Guinea
2021 Guinean coup d'état
class=notpageimage|
Nexus of coup in Conakry (marked green), Guinea

The 2021 Guinean coup d'état attempt is the ongoing military coup attempt in Guinea on 5 September 2021. It has resulted in the capture of the country's president, Alpha Condé, after gunfire in the capital Conakry. Members of the special forces released a video showing Condé in captivity, and the special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya released a broadcast on state television announcing the dissolution of the constitution and government.

Background

Alpha Condé was first elected as the president of Guinea in 2010,[1][2] and then re-elected in 2015. The country had a two-term presidential limit, but the 2020 constitutional referendum included a provision extending the length of terms and allowed Condé to "reset" his term limit and seek two more terms.[3] Both the constitutional referendum and the 2020 presidential election were followed by protests against Condé.[4]

During Condé's regime, some improvements have been made to the economy as the country has built its wealth upon its extensive resources, particularly of bauxite, but also of diamonds, iron and gold, but government mismanagement failed to bring major uplift for most citizens, and the communities around the mines have not been adequately compensated for land, water and health losses connected with the mineral extraction.[5][6][7]

Starting from the presidential election, opposition politicians, who were contesting the legal mandate of Condé, were repressed - for example, Mamady Condé was arrested on January 2021, while Mamadou Oury Barry and Roger Bamba, leader of oppositionist Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), died in prison, which, according to the Human Rights Watch, have very poor conditions.[8] In addition to that, prices on grain,[9] flour and sugar shot up, which forced the government to make an attempt in January 2021 to set the bread price at a higher level, from which it backpedalled;[10] however, this led to bread shortages in Nzérékoré, as bakers refused to produce the bread at regulated prices of 2,500 francs a loaf.[11] After ten days of standoff with the prefecture, the latter granted permission to sell the bread at 4,000 francs.[12] Similar increases were also reported elsewhere in the country.[13]

A month before the putsch attempt took place, increases in petrol prices, from 9,000 to 11,000 Guinean francs (US$ 1.12) per litre, were announced.[14] An array of new taxes and tax hikes was announced in the weeks preceding the coup, in an effort to balance the budget.[7] Public discontent ensued as a result of an increase of cost of living.

Coup attempt

The gunfire started at around 8 a.m. local time near the Presidential Palace.[15] While the ministry of defence said that the attack had been contained,[16] photos first appeared of Condé being taken out of the building,[15] and, shortly afterwards, videos were soon posted of Condé being held by members of the Guinean military.[17][18]

The lieutenant colonel Mamady Doumbouya issued a broadcast on state television, RTG, in which he said the government and its institutions were dissolved, the constitution was annulled and Guinea's borders were closed.[17][19] In the broadcast, he said that the National Committee of Rally and Development (French: Comité national du rassemblement et du développement, CNRD) would steer the country for an 18-month transition period.[20][16][21] Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire who returned to Guinea in 2018 to take command of the Groupement des forces spéciales (Special Forces Group), an elite unit of the Guinean armed forces. has been reported to be the instigator of the coup attempt.[22][15]

A Western diplomat told The Daily Telegraph that the attack was provoked by the government trying to dismiss a senior member of the country's special forces.[23]

Reactions

See also

References

  1. ^ Bah, Youssouf; Paquette, Danielle (2021-09-05). "Guinea's president is detained in apparent military takeover". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  2. ^ editing (2021-09-05). "BREAKING: Fear Of Military Coup Hits Guinea As Heavy Gunfire Is Reported Near Presidential Palace". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  3. ^ "Guinea elections: Alpha Condé wins third term amid violent protests". BBC News. 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  4. ^ "Guinea: At least 50 people killed with impunity during protests in less than a year". Amnesty International. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  5. ^ "Guinea coup attempt: Soldiers claim to seize power from Alpha Condé". BBC News. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  6. ^ "What Do We Get Out of It? - The Human Rights Impact of Bauxite Mining in Guinea". Human Rights Watch. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2021-09-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b "Power struggle roils Guinea as soldiers say they've taken over". Reuters. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  8. ^ "Guinée : tout savoir sur le coup d’Etat contre Alpha Condé". Le Journal de l'Afrique. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  9. ^ "Guinée : le prix du pain toujours en hausse malgré l'injonction du chef de l'Etat". Guinéenews (in French). 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-09-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Guinee7.com (2021-01-19). "Prix du pain/Voici pourquoi Alpha Condé a fait changer d'avis « Big Up »". Guinee7.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-09-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ bishba (2021-03-22). "Guinée/N'Zérékoré : pénurie de pain dans la ville sur fond de désaccord entre autorités et boulangers". Sunuker.net: Le Sénégal de la Téranga dans le Web. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  12. ^ "N'Zérékoré : les boulangers autorisés finalement à vendre le pain à 4000 francs". Guinée Matin - Les Nouvelles de la Guinée profonde (in French). 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2021-09-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ LEDJELY.COM (2020-01-28). "Secteur du pain : de la hausse des prix au risque de pénurie". Ledjely.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  14. ^ "Guinée : le coup de pompe d’Alpha Condé". Le Journal de l'Afrique. 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  15. ^ a b c "Guinée : Alpha Condé arrêté par les putschistes – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  16. ^ a b Felix, Saliou Samb and Bate (2021-09-06). "Guinea soldiers say they have taken over". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  17. ^ a b "Army colonel on Guinean TV says govt dissolved, borders shut". AP NEWS. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  18. ^ "Guinée : Alpha Condé arrêté par les putschistes – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  19. ^ "Tentative de coup d'Etat en Guinée, des putschistes affirment détenir le président Alpha Condé". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  20. ^ "Guinea: A faction of the military announces suspension of government in an apparent military coup, Sept. 5; the situation remains uncertain /update 3". GardaWorld. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  21. ^ "Guinean soldiers claim to have seized power in coup attempt". the Guardian. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  22. ^ Felix, Saliou Samb and Bate (2021-09-06). "Guinea soldiers say they have taken over". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  23. ^ Staff, Our Foreign (2021-09-05). "Guinea rocked by 'attempted coup' after gunfire heard at presidential palace". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  24. ^ "DIRECT. Guinée : des putschistes affirment avoir capturé le président Alpha Condé, le secrétaire général de l'ONU condamne un "coup de force"". Franceinfo (in French). 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.

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