Guinea coup: Military leaders unlikely to handover power soon

A Security analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning has said the military junta in Guinea will not return the country to democratic rule anytime soon.

According to him, the leaders are fighting for the people–that is their main objective now– hence they will not be intimidated.

ECOWAS has given the coup leaders six months to return the country to democratic rule after the September 5 ousting of President Alpha Condé.

ECOWAS also called on the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, and other multilateral and bilateral partners to support the implementation of these sanctions.

The West Africa regional bloc also stressed that no member of the CNRD should be allowed to contest in the presidential election if Guinea is returned to democratic rule.

ECOWAS has also imposed travel bans and a freeze on the financial assets of Guinea's coup leaders and their families.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo , ECOWAS Chair, on Friday, September 17, 2021, also left Accra for Guinea to meet its military leaders a day after those sanctions were imposed in a bid to get the coup leaders to return the country to democratic rule.

However, Prof. Kwesi Anning, speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile said the coup-makers don’t feel intimidated by the sanctions.

“Guinea's coup was unfortunate, but it is not altogether surprising, and I think the military will not leave soon,” he said.

ECOWAS must admit failure for not stopping Conde's 3rd term bid – Ablakwa

On the same issue, the Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa , has expressed his disappointment with ECOWAS over its handling of the Guinean political crisis.

He is of the view that ECOWAS is complicit in the entire situation in the West African country.

According to him, ECOWAS kept quiet and failed to advise Alpha Conde against contesting for a third term, a move that was in clear violation of the country's constitution.

“ECOWAS continues to avoid the real issue. ECOWAS should have first admitted that they got it wrong, and they failed to step in when Alpha Conde totally undermined the Guinean constitution and decided to run for a third term, and it has still not taken responsibility for that complicity.”

“If you look at their actions and posture, it is sending a message that it doesn't matter when these old men continue to undermine their respective constitutions and totally dissipate the hopes and aspirations of the people.”

About the coup

After gunfire in Guinea's capital, a group of soldiers announced the dissolution of the constitution, the closure of the borders.

The soldiers, led by a Special Forces Colonel, Mamady Doumbouya, had said regional governors had been replaced by military commanders and that Mr. Condé was under arrest.

The UN, African Union, and ECOWAS have condemned the coup and called for a return to civilian rule.

The coup in Guinea was the fourth attempted coup in West Africa in the last year, with two military takeovers in Mali and a failed coup in Niger.