How did the coup in Guinea unfold?

Soldiers swarmed Conakry, the capital, on Sunday and engaged in hours of shootouts. They blocked key roads and detained Condé. Col. Mamady Doumbouya, who led the takeover, appeared on state media with a Guinean flag on his shoulders. He announced the dissolution of the constitution and said borders would close until further notice. “Our action is not a coup d’etat,” Doumbouya, head of Guinea’s special forces, said in the Sunday broadcast. “It only reflects the legitimate aspiration of people to want to live in an environment where basic human needs can be met.” The junta was focused on forging a transition government that would shift power, he said, from “one man” to the people in the nation of about 13 million. Doumbouya laid out a list of grievances against Condé’s government, including “the trampling of citizens’ rights, the disrespect for democratic principles, the outrageous politicization of public administration, financial mismanagement, poverty and endemic corruption.” A new constitution, he said, would be written under the aegis of his new force, the National Committee for Rally and Development, or CNRD for its French acronym. (The French word for “rally” can also mean gathering and reconciliation, but it is unclear yet which particular definition the junta is embracing.) The death toll from the shootouts remains unclear, though local media have reported several casualties on both sides of the power struggle.

Who is Mamady Doumbouya?

Doumbouya is the head of Guinea’s special forces. According to local media reports, Doumbouya served in the French Foreign Legion and took part in a U.S. military training exercise focused on curbing terrorism known as Flintlock .

What will happen in Guinea now?

The situation is unfolding rapidly on the ground and things could still change if, for example, other parts of the military that remain loyal to Condé were to strike back against the CNRD. On Monday, the military leaders who have declared themselves in charge of Guinea ordered local officials to attend a meeting that day in Conakry or face consequences. “Any absence will be considered as a rebellion,” the junta’s spokesman said on state television. Just before noon, the prime minister and other government heads began arriving at the heavily guarded parliament building under army escort. Reporters watched the same truck drop them off one by one.

Why does this matter?

The political stability of Guinea has ramifications in West Africa and for the global economy. The country is one of the world’s largest suppliers of bauxite , a key source of aluminum, meaning any disruptions there can severely impact commodities prices . A successful coup could further destabilize a region that is vulnerable to attacks by Islamist militants and that has been hit by repeated public health and economic crises in the past decades.

What do we know about Alpha Condé?

In various speeches and interviews, Doumbouya has claimed that Condé is safe and being held in an undisclosed location, but the president’s office has not released any statement on the matter. In a video communique , soldiers read a statement they attributed to Doumbouya in which he claimed that Condé is “morally and physically” intact and “in contact with his doctors.” Condé rose to power in 2010. He pledged to break a decades-long streak of authoritarian rule and harness Guinea’s natural wealth for ordinary people. Then he sought a third term last fall, setting off a wave of protests. Dozens of demonstrators died in clashes with security forces, and critics blasted the government for exploiting coronavirus concerns to crack down on free speech. Condé maintained that constitutional changes — engineered during his tenure — had reset the clock on his legal number of terms. He refused to step aside, saying he needed more time to materialize his vision for Guinea. That leadership style is part of a grim pattern in West Africa, said Mathias Hounkpe, who leads the political governance program at the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, a pro-democracy group in Dakar, Senegal. The Ivory Coast’s president made a similar argument when he sought a controversial third term last year within weeks of Condé’s reelection. Fears of Senegal’s leader doing the same have recently fueled some of the biggest protests the country has seen in years. “Our leaders are frustrating everyone with this,” Hounkpe said, “and that’s why people see a military intervention as part of the solution. That’s why people are dancing in the streets in Guinea.”

How have other countries reacted?

In Conakry, glee seemed to overshadow criticism. Video showed people cheering from their balconies: “Bravo!” A civil society group organized a rally to celebrate what it called the release of political prisoners. However, Guinea’s neighbors and foreign powers with economic and political interests in the region issued statements condemning the apparent coup and calling for Condé’s release. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department , warned in a statement that the attempted coup “could limit the ability of the United States and Guinea’s other international partners to support the country as it navigates a path toward national unity and a brighter future for the Guinean people.” António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, wrote on Twitter that he is “personally following the situation in Guinea very closely,” adding his strong condemnation of “any takeover of the government by force of the gun,” and calling for “the immediate release of” Condé. Leaders of the African Union urged the body’s crisis committee, the Council for Peace and Security , to meet “urgently” to “examine the new situation in Guinea and to take appropriate measures given the circumstances.” The French Foreign Ministry called for “a return to constitutional order” and Condé’s “immediate and unconditional release.” France also updated its travel advice for Guinea , cautioning its citizens in the country to shelter in place and to “exercise the utmost vigilance.” The European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, tweeted a similar statement that condemned the attempted coup, called for Condé’s release and asked that the junta act with “respect for the rule of law, interest in peace and the well-being of the Guinean population.” Youssouf Bah in Conakry contributed to this report.

Foreign Policy

Here’s what we know about the unfolding coup in Guinea

By Danielle Paquette

and

Annabelle Timsit

September 6, 2021 at 10:49 a.m. EDT

People celebrate in the streets of Conakry, Guinea, on Sept. 5 after the arrest of President Alpha Condé. (Cellou Binani/AFP/Getty Images)

Special forces in Guinea overthrew the government of President Alpha Condé on Sunday, adding another apparent coup d’etat to the West African nation’s lengthy history of military takeovers.

Condé, 83, took power 11 years ago in the country’s first democratic election since its independence from France in 1958.

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