Guinea junta consolidates takeover with military governors

[September 07, 2021]  By Saliou Samb

CONAKRY (Reuters) - The soldiers who seized power in Guinea over the weekend have consolidated their takeover with the installation of army officers at the top of the country's eight provincial regions and various administrative districts.

West African countries have threatened sanctions over the overthrow of President Alpha Conde, who was serving a third term after altering the constitution to permit it, which his opponents called illegal. Regional leaders will meet to discuss the situation on Thursday.

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former officer in the French Foreign Legion, has promised a transitional government of national unity and a "new era for governance and economic development". But he has not yet explained exactly what this will entail, or given a timeframe.

Sunday's uprising, in which Conde and other top politicians were detained or barred from travelling, is the third since April in West and Central Africa, raising concerns about a slide back to military rule in a region that had made strides towards multi-party democracy since the 1990s.
 

Guinea's capital Conakry saw a second day of calm after the putsch, with some military checkpoints removed as the junta moves to consolidate its takeover. Traffic was normal on Tuesday in the capital's administrative centre, the Kaloum peninsula. Traffic jams were beginning to form.

State television RTG broadcast images of junta-appointed General Aboubacar Diakite taking over from civilian governor Sadou Keita in Kankan region, Conde's electoral stronghold.

Keita called his replacement by a general a moment of "joy and remorse", Guinean news website Inquisiteur.net reported.

Special forces members take position during an uprising that led to the toppling of president Alpha Conde in Kaloum neighbourhood of Conakry, Guinea September 5, 2021. REUTERS/Saliou Samb

In Labe province in the north, soldiers took down a photograph of Conde from the walls of Governor Elhadj Madifing Diane's office as he handed over to a lieutenant-colonel, Media Guinea reported.

The coup has triggered concerns about supplies of bauxite, the main aluminium ore, from Guinea, the world's second-largest producer.

The benchmark aluminium contract hit a 10-year high on the London Metal Exchange on Monday, and prices for bauxite from Guinea hit their highest in almost 18 months in China.

However, mines have not reported any disruption. State-run Chinese aluminium producer Chalco's bauxite project in Guinea said it was operating normally.

The Australian-listed bauxite and gold exploration firms Lindian Resources and Polymetals Resources also said on Tuesday that their activities were unaffected.

During his decade in power, Conde steered Guinea through economic growth, but unemployment remained high.

Frustration boiled over into protests last year when he chose to seek a third term.

(Additional reporting by Hereward Holland; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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