Cape Town – Soldiers in Guinea have detained 83-year-old President Alpha Condé and placed him under house arrest on Sunday, according to reports.
The military has taken to state television to announce that Condé’s government has been dissolved, in what is clearly a military coup currently underway in the West African country, according to reports.
According to local and international media, the announcement in the West African country came after hours of heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace, around Sékoutoureya, the presidential palace where the head of state is located.
The Guinean government denies reports that a military coup d'etat is underway.
According to a statement which has been widely circulated on social media, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the commander of the countries special forces said, “We decided, after seeing the President, who is with us, to dissolve the current constitution, dissolve the government and close the land and air borders.”
Anadolu Agency reported that Doumbouya, who is the head of the Special Forces Group (GPS), justified this political turnaround by "the dysfunction of republican institutions", "the instrumentalisation of justice ”and“ the trampling of citizens' rights,” the news outlet reported.
“The personalisation of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one man, we will entrust it to the people, Doumbouya was quoted as saying by news broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The President of Guinea, Alpha Condé has been arrested by his military.
— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) September 5, 2021
A coup is underway in Guinea as you read this & the President has been taken away from the Palace.
Special forces that rebelled against him went to arrest him st the Presidential Palace.#RegisterToVote2023 pic.twitter.com/hZ3jiwn1jL
President Conde was sworn in for a third term in December 2021 following violent elections whose result the opposition rejected.
The president pushed through constitutional changes in March of 2020 allowing him to run despite a two-term limit.
President Condé has been president of Guinea since December 2010. He was re-elected twice in 2015 and 2020.
He also chaired the African Union from January 2017 to January 2018.
African News Agency (ANA)