Guinean special forces have arrested President Alpha Conde, months after he allegedly committed massive election fraud during the country’s October 2020 presidential election.
Images and video clips have emerged online of President Alpha Conde detained by a Guinean special forces unit. Conde appears to be reclining in a relaxed manner on a couch, dressed in casual clothing as he is surrounded by soldiers.
Guinea's president Alpha Conde has been arrested by the military. Earlier heavy gunfire was heard in the capital. #Conakry #Militarycouptinguinea pic.twitter.com/h9ZgQtipGo
— Baillor Jalloh (@baillorjah) September 5, 2021
Shortly after this, the head of the Guinean special forces and the leader of the effort to oust Conde, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, gave a speech to the people of Guinea, where he condemned the “trampling of citizens’ rights”, “endemic corruption” and the “instrumentalization of justice”. Colonel Doumbouya pledged not to “repeat the mistakes of the past”, referring to the failures of the Guinean political establishment.
This is who just took over in Guinea, detaining the president and freezing the constitution. Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, commander of the country's special forces pic.twitter.com/pMsrJiB3ss
— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) September 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/rfemassala/status/1434496385714434048
Transcription of Colonel Doumbouya's post-coup speech translated to English (via @adelestebach) pic.twitter.com/J5uN18VT1u
— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) September 5, 2021
The detention of President Conde comes after the October 2020 Guinean presidential election, where Conde’s center-left Guinean People’s Assembly party, the official Guinean sister party of the Democratic Party in the United States, was accused by opposition leaders of engaging in massive election fraud.
“We reject the results proclaimed by the [election commission] and continue the demonstrations to protest against the ongoing hold-up. In this fight, let’s avoid following President Conde in the ethnicization of the conflict which is only political,” said opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo. “Law and victory are on our side!”
Although Conde presented himself as a champion of democracy, he presided over mass crackdowns on political opponents, arresting and using force to disperse crowds of anyone who questioned the election results.
Following the rigged election, Conde received strong support from the People’s Republic of China. Guinea is a key exporter of iron ore and bauxite to China, which are critical for the manufacturing of steel and aluminium respectively.
According to a report by The Guardian, in his private presidential office, Conde kept a photo of himself with former U.S. President Barack Obama alongside a bust of China’s Chairman Mao Zedong, indicating his deep admiration for the two fellow leftist leaders.
The events in Guinea follow a similar situation in Myanmar, where the military overthrew the government of another Obama ally, Aung San Suu Kyi, following an allegedly rigged election there.
