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The overthrow of Alpha Conde, the president of Guinea, has steadily declined the grace of the veteran opposition leader and human rights professor. Critics say he has failed to deliver on his promises of democratic restoration and national reconciliation.
An unkempt Conte appeared in a video circulating on social media because he was detained after he was discharged Seize power On Sunday, it was announced that the constitution had been dissolved, the country’s borders had been closed, and a national curfew had been imposed.
Colonel Mamadi Doumbuya, the commander of the special forces draped in the flag of Guinea, appeared on national television surrounded by six heavily armed soldiers, promising to restore democracy.
“The personalization of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one person, we will entrust it to the people,” Dumbua said.
The colonel, who once led the military’s special forces, said that his actions were in the best interests of a country with more than 12.7 million people. He said that since independence from France in 1958, the economy has not made enough progress.
Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Hack reported in neighboring Dakar, Senegal, that the Sunday coup took place a week after Parliament voted to increase the president’s budget, but that the budgets of civil servants and members of the security services had been “substantially reduced.”
In October last year, less than a year after Kant won the third presidency in a fiercely controversial election, a coup took place. New constitution In March 2020, this allowed him to circumvent the country’s two-term term limit, triggering mass protests.
Dozens of people were killed during demonstrations, usually in clashes with security forces.Hundreds Arrested, Including opposition leaders.
Sanction or no sanction?
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened to impose sanctions after its chairman and President of Ghana, Nana Akuffo-Addo (Nana Akuffo-Addo) called an attempted coup, while the African Union (AU) said it would hold it urgently. Meeting and take “appropriate measures”.
However, Akwasi Osei, a professor of history and political science at Delaware State University, warned that because citizens support the military, regional participants will have to start a dialogue with the colonel.
“Don’t forget, Dumbua is from Comte. He is in charge of special forces and has been specially trained to protect Comte. This is important for understanding why this country seems to support him,” Ossey told Al Jazeera.
“All the sources said that even though the African Union and ECOWAS require them to [the military] Going back to the barracks, it doesn’t work…no one in Guinea heard it,” he added.
“There is no doubt that Dumbuya is the person in charge, he is the de facto person in charge. Therefore, whether sanctions or not, they will have to talk to him, and more importantly, they will have to take the country’s measures, Obviously, this is a popular uprising, at least for now,” Ossey said.
For Comte’s critics, the bid for the third term was the last nail in the coffin he claimed to be “Mandela of Guinea” and risked the West African bauxite and iron ore producers to fall into Risk of confusion.
Alioune Tine, an independent human rights expert at the United Nations and founder of the AfrikaJom Center think tank, said that Comte refused to cede power, which made popular uprisings or coups inevitable.
“Alpha Kant is one of the politicians who have worked for Guinea’s democracy for more than 40 years. Once in power, he completely destroyed it,” Tien told Reuters.
“He put people in jail. He killed people, and he totally refused to engage in any political dialogue with the opposition.”
Kant previously denied allegations of human rights violations. Echoing other African leaders who amended the constitution to maintain power, he said he needs more time to realize his vision of modern Guinea.
On the eve of the general election in October last year, there were sporadic violent clashes between Comte’s Malinque members and supporters of their main rival, Celou Dalein Diallo Pell.Kant is Announce the winner 59.5% of the votes. Diallo disputed the results.
Human Rights Watch Say At least 12 people were killed in the post-election violence.
“Mandela of Guinea”
In 2010, the election of the Kant Minister of Guinea was optimistic by the optimism of human rights activists and international organizations.
Before that, Comte had been the main critic of a series of leaders: Ahmed Sekou Toure (Ahmed Sekou Toure), who ruled from independence in 1958 until his death in 1984; Lansana Kong Dai (Lansana Conte) seized power through a coup after Toure’s death; and Moussa Dadis Camara, who led a coup after Conte’s death in 2008.
His advocacy led him to be sentenced to death under Toure’s leadership, forcing him to go into exile in France, where he became an assistant professor of human rights at the Sorbonne University.
He lost to Conte in the 1993 and 1998 presidential elections. In 1998, he was arrested on the eve of the vote, charged with conspiring to overthrow the government, and sentenced to jail for the next two years.
After the ruling military government agreed to a democratic transition in 2010, Kant finally had the opportunity to participate in public elections and defeated Diallo with a disastrous defeat.
“I will strive to become the Mandela of Guinea and unite every son of Guinea,” he said in his inauguration speech. “The restoration of social cohesion and national unity requires a collective examination of our painful past.”
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