A blow that we probably did not feel coming.President Alpha Condé, 83, is in the hands of the putschists this Sunday, September 5, 2021. The special forces led by Commander Mamady Doumbia, detained the head of state as well as many other dignitaries of the regime.
An unforgettable day in the political history of Guinea. President Alpha Condé, who has been at the head of the country for 11 years, was arrested this Sunday, September 5, 2021 by an elite unit of the army both trained and equipped. Everything started around 8 am with heavy fire and heavy weapons during the morning near Sékoutoureya, the presidential palace where the head of state was then.
At midday, the commander of the elite unit, Mamady Doumbia, a Malinké from the Kankan region, appears in a video widely shared on social networks to give the reasons for the coup d’état perpetrated against Alpha Condé.“The socio-political and economic situation of the country, the dysfunction of republican institutions, the instrumentalisation of justice, the trampling of citizens’ rights, financial mismanagement […] have led the republican army to assume its responsibilities vis-à-visthe people of Guinea,” said the commander, with a red beret on his head and a sunglasses on his nose, surrounded by two soldiers.
He also announced the dissolution of the Constitution, the government, the institutions and the closure of the borders. Now, he concludes, a “National Assembly and Development Committee (CNRD)” has taken power.
It should be noted that Alpha Condé was re-elected for a third consecutive term as head of Guinea with 59.5% of the vote on Saturday, October 24, 2020. An election that was strongly contested by the opposition as well as civil society. This coup d’état, which took place one year after his re-election, speaks volumes about the dissatisfaction of the Guinean people with the country’s socio-economic situation.
