Guinea: coup attempt, putschists claim to detain President Alpha Condé – archyde

“The socio-political and economic situation of the country, the dysfunction of the republican institutions, the instrumentalisation of justice, the trampling of the rights of citizens, the disrespect of democratic principles, the excessive politicization of the public administration, the financial mismanagement, poverty and endemic corruption have led the republican army (…) to assume its responsibilities vis-à-vis the sovereign people of Guinea ”, explains this same military official.

“We call on our brothers in arms to unity, in order to meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of Guinea. We also invite them to stay in the barracks and continue their sovereign activities. We are not going to redo the mistakes of the past ”, also warns this soldier.

In another video, not immediately authenticated, we can see putschists with President Condé. They ask him if he has been mistreated, and Alpha Condé, in jeans and a shirt on a sofa, refuses to answer them.

For its part, the defense ministry said in a statement that “The insurgents [avaient] sowed fear “ in Conakry before taking the direction of the presidential palace, but that “The presidential guard, supported by the defense and security forces, loyalists and republican, contained the threat and pushed back the group of attackers”.

A Western diplomat told AFP that he had ” no doubt “ on the fact that a coup attempt was underway, led by Guinean special forces.

Heavy automatic weapons fire had resounded a few hours earlier Sunday in central Conakry, in the grip of a serious economic and political crisis for months.

Confused situation

The authorities have remained silent on a very confusing situation, despite the proliferation of rumors. National television broadcast its regular programs at midday.

Residents contacted by phone in Kaloum reported sustained shooting. Speaking on condition of anonymity for their safety, they said they saw many soldiers warning residents to return to their homes and not to leave. The opposition has circulated widely on social networks videos it claims shot by residents stealthily and in which the streets resound with intense gunfire.

The tensions could have been caused by the dismissal or the attempted arrest or marginalization of the commander of the special forces, a unit with greater means than other security forces and likely to have aroused jealousy, the Western diplomat said. expressing on condition of anonymity, according to established practices in such circumstances. Special forces would then be taken into action, he added.

Months of tension

For months, this West African country among the poorest in the world despite considerable mineral and hydrological resources has been in the grip of a deep political and economic crisis, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The day before the presidential election of October 18, 2020, the center of Conakry woke up with its accesses blocked by the security forces, while the press reported a mutiny in a military camp in Kindia, hundred kilometers east of the capital.