Guinea's junta says ousted leader Alpha Condé has returned home

Guinea's junta has announced that deposed president Alpha Condé was sent to his wife's home in the capital Conakry on Monday, after holding him incommunicado for months.

83-year-old Condé led the country for nearly 11 years before being deposed in a military coup on the 5th of September.

In a statement broadcast on state TV, the junta said Condé was now home with his wife, Hadja Djene Kaba Condé, in the Conakry suburbs.

It was not specified whether Condé was under house arrest or if he faces other restrictions.

The junta, which calls itself the National Rally Committee for Development (CNRD), said it "will continue to provide the former head of state with treatment worthy of his rank, and this without any national or international pressure."

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had imposed sanctions on individual coup leaders and demanded the "unconditional release" of Condé.

ECOWAS also suspended Guinea from the bloc and called for elections to be held within six months.

Return to civilian rule

The country's new strongman, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, was sworn in as interim president last month.

While he has pledged to restore civilian rule after elections, Doumbouya has so far refused to commit to a timeframe for the transition.

The 41-year-old former French legionnaire justified his putsch by accusing Condé of corruption and authoritarianism.

The junta has so far dissolved the government and replaced ministers, governors and prefects with handpicked administrators and soldiers.

Condé became Guinea's first democratically elected leader in 2010, but last year sparked mass protests when he changed the constitution to allow himself to seek a third term in office.

Though Condé was re-elected, his critics denounced the poll as a sham.