Nigeria rejects Guinea coup, soldiers plan transitional govt

Kindly share this story:..
Alpha Conde after he was captured by army putschists
The President of Guinea Conakry Alpha Conde after he was captured by army putschists during a coup d'etat in Conakry. Photos: africaupdatesuk

Soldiers who staged an uprising in Guinea’s capital on Sunday said on state television that they had dissolved the West African nation’s government and constitution and closed all land and air borders.

However, the defence ministry said an attack on the presidential palace in Conakry had been repelled.

This is just as the government of Nigeria rejects the coup, describing it as a violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

Reuters reports that fighting broke out near the palace on Sunday morning, with several sources saying an elite national army unit, led by a former French legionnaire, Mamady Doumbouya, was behind the unrest.

Videos shared on social media on Sunday afternoon, which Reuters could not immediately authenticate, showed President Alpha Conde in a room surrounded by army special forces.

Conde won a third term in October after changing the constitution to allow him to stand again, despite violent protests from the opposition.

Doumbouya appeared on state television draped in Guinea’s national flag and surrounded by eight other armed soldiers, saying his supporters planned to form a transitional government and would give further details later.

“We have dissolved government and institutions,” Doumbouya said. “We call our brothers in arms to join the people.”

As the defence ministry said security forces loyal to Conde had repulsed the attack and were restoring order, people emerged onto the streets during the afternoon to celebrate the uprising’s apparent success.

Nigeria is not even a person of interest...as far as they are concerned.