Soldiers seek to tighten grip after ousting Alpha Condé

The Guinea soldiers who took over power on Sunday ordered all the government ministers plus national figures to attend a meeting today and those who refuse to attend will be considered rebels, a statement on state TV said.

The head of Special Forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, said his soldiers had seized power because they want to end rampant corruption and mismanagement. However, President Condé remains in detention, but his fate is unclear.

In a broadcast on state TV on Sunday night, they said regional governors had been replaced by military commanders, and the ousted 83-year-old president was safe but in detention. President Condé was re-elected for a controversial third term in office amid violent protests last year.

The UN, African Union, and regional body Ecowas have condemned the coup and called for a return to civilian rule. “I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde,” the UN secretary-general António Guterres tweeted.

The soldiers announced the dissolution of the constitution, closure of the borders, and a nationwide curfew. The veteran opposition leader was first elected in 2010 in the country’s first democratic transfer of power. Despite overseeing some economic progress, he has since been accused of presiding over numerous human rights abuses and harassment of his critics.