Mayotte Wire

Army officers on Sunday staged a coup in Guinea. Here are some key dates in the history of the troubled west African country since independence from France in 1958.

1958: Independence

On October 2, 1958, Ahmed Sekou Toure declares independence, a few days after a referendum rejected membership in a Franco-African community proposed by then French leader Charles de Gaulle.

Sekou Toure is elected president in January 1961. The country turns socialist in 1967.

Toure in power for 26 years

The “father of independence” becomes a Third World hero but turns into an iron-fisted ruler who is blamed for the disappearance of about 50,000 people, according to human rights groups. Hundreds of thousands flee the country.

1984-2008: Conte’s rule

On April 3, 1984, a week after Toure’s death, a military junta takes power led by Colonel Lansana Conte. He puts down a coup attempt in 1985 and a deadly army mutiny in 1996.

Conte is elected president in 1993 and reelected twice in votes disputed or boycotted by the opposition.

In early 2007, massive protests against the “Conte system” are put down, claiming more than 180 lives, according to humanitarian groups.

2008 coup

On December 23, 2008, soldiers seize power in a bloodless coup the day after Conte died of an undisclosed illness at age 74.

The government swears allegiance to the junta led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.

In September 2009, security forces open fire at a stadium where thousands of opposition members are holding a rally.

At least 157 people are killed and around 100 women are raped.

In December, junta chief Camara is wounded as his top aide shoots him in the head.

2010: Alpha Conde, first elected president

In January 2010, transitional President Sekouba Konate signs a deal with Camara, setting up a presidential election.

On November 7, Alpha Conde becomes Guinea’s first democratically elected president.

He survives unscathed when soldiers attack him at his home in the capital Conakry on July 19, 2011.

He is reelected on October 11, 2015, after polls marred by violence and fraud allegations.

2013: Ebola epidemic

An epidemic of the hemorrhagic disease Ebola breaks out that will last until 2016 and claim more than 2,500 lives.

Conde’s third term

Starting in October 2019, the prospect of a third term for Conde sparks fierce opposition, with dozens of civilians killed during protests.

A new constitution adopted on March 22, 2020, after a referendum boycotted by the opposition allows Conde to run for a third term.

Conde is declared the winner of a presidential vote on October 18, 2020, as top challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo and other rivals cry foul.

Source: Voice of America

Members of the Guinea military staged an apparent coup Sunday, declaring on national television that they had arrested President Alpha Conde, dissolved the country’s constitution, and sealed off land and air borders.

The junta later announced a nationwide curfew, Agence France Press reported.

Conde’s whereabouts Sunday was not immediately clear. AFP reported that it had received a video of Conde, wearing a wrinkled shirt and jeans and sitting on a couch surrounded by soldiers. When asked by a soldier in the video whether he has been harmed in any way, Conde does not respond.

In October, the president won a third term in office after amending the constitution to allow him to run again. The controversial election sparked violent protests throughout the country.

Army Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire, appeared on national television Sunday, draped in the Guinea flag.

“We have dissolved government and institutions,” Doumbouya said. “We call our brothers in arms to join the people.”

Doumbouya cited mismanagement of the government as a reason for his actions. He calls his group of soldiers the National Rally and Development Committee (CNRD).

CNRD said on state television later Sunday that all governors had been replaced by military leaders, but that all outgoing ministers were invited to a meeting Monday at parliament.

“Any failure to attend will be considered as a rebellion against the CNRD,” the group said in a statement.

Fighting was reported earlier Sunday in Conakry, but following the announcement on television, many took to the streets to celebrate what they believed to be a successful coup.

International groups were quick to condemn the unrest in Guinea.

“I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter.

ECOWAS Chairman and Ghana President Nana Akuffo-Addo condemned what he called an “attempted coup” in a statement released Sunday, calling for the unconditional release of Conde.

France also condemned the “attempted seizure of power by force” and called for Conde’s release, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

African Union leaders called on the body’s Peace and Security Council to meet urgently to discuss the situation.

Source: Voice of America