FG reacts to ‘unconstitutional change of govt’ in Guinea

The President Muhammadu Buhari -led Nigerian government has condemned what it described as an apparent coup d’état in the Republic of Guinea.

Esther Sunsuwa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the position of the government known in a statement on Sunday.

Sunsuwa, in the statement noted that the takeover of power by the military is in clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

It reads, “the Government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property”.

The statement was issued following reports that special forces in Guinea have taken over power in what appears to be a new twist in the political unrest in the West African country.

Meanwhile, the incumbent President Alpha Conde who has been in power since December 2010, was said to have been arrested by the soldiers.

“We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution,” a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers wielding assault rifles was quoted as saying in a video sent to AFP.

The soldier announced that Guinea’s land and air borders have been shut and that the government had been dissolved.

Thereafter, the head of Guinea’s military special forces, Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, was said to have appeared on public television.

Doumbouya, who was wrapped in the country’s flag, revealed that his action was triggered by “mismanagement” by the government.

The coup leader said, “We are no longer going to entrust politics to one man, we are going to entrust politics to the people.

Guinea is beautiful. We don’t need to rape Guinea anymore; we just need to make love to her.”

There has been lingering political tension in Guinea, first spurred by the bid for a third term by President Conde’s in 2020.

Another video sent to AFP showed a rumpled-looking President Conde sitting on a sofa, surrounded by troops.

The 83-year-old who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 refused to answer a question from a soldier about whether he was being mistreated while in their custody.