The Guinean army consolidates the acquisition and the opposition leader indicates openness to the transition

CONAKRY, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Guinea’s main opposition leader said on Tuesday he was open to taking part in a transition after a military coup over the weekend as soldiers who took power went consolidate their takeover.

West African countries have threatened sanctions after the overthrow of President Alpha Conde, who was serving a third term after altering the constitution to allow it.

Opponents said the change was illegal and frustration turned into deadly protests last year. Eighty political prisoners detained by the Conde government, including some who had campaigned against his third term, were released on Tuesday evening, said Hamidou Barry of Guinea’s Human Rights Organization.

Regional leaders will meet to discuss Guinea on Wednesday, not Thursday, as suggested in a previous staff note.

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French Foreign Legion officer, has promised a transitional government of national unity and a “new era of governance and economic development.” But he has not yet explained exactly what this will entail, nor has he given a deadline.

Cellou Dalein Diallo, Guinea’s main opposition leader, told Reuters on Tuesday that he had not yet been consulted on the transition, but that he was willing to participate.

“We would send representatives, why not, to participate in the process to return the country to constitutional order,” said Diallo, a prime minister who finished Conde’s runner-up in three consecutive elections, the most recent last October.

Sunday’s uprising, in which Conde and other top politicians were arrested or banned from traveling, is the third since April in West and Central Africa, raising concerns about a setback to military government in a region that had since advanced toward multiparty democracy in the 1990s.

Conakry was quiet for a second day after the coup, with some military controls removed. Traffic was normal on Tuesday in the administrative center of the capital, the Kaloum peninsula.

Aiming to consolidate their power, the soldiers who led the coup have installed army officers at the top of Guinea’s eight regions and several administrative districts.

BAUXITA

The coup raised concerns over the supply of bauxite, Guinea’s main aluminum ore, a leading producer.

The benchmark aluminum contract on the London Metal Exchange remained close to a ten-year high on Monday.

However, the mines have not reported any interruptions. Chalco’s Chinese state-of-the-art aluminum bauxite manufacturing project (601600.SS) in Guinea said it was operating normally.

Australian bauxite gold and gold exploration companies listed by Lindian Resources (LIN.AX) and Polymetals Resources (POL.AX) also said on Tuesday that their activities were unaffected.

The Kremlin said it was closely following the political situation and hoped that Russian business interests, which include three large bauxite mines and an alumina refinery, would not suffer.

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

Surveys conducted by Afrobarometer suggest that most Guineans believe that the level of corruption has increased, while dissatisfaction with the economy and personal living conditions have also increased.

Diallo said corruption became endemic under Conde.

“An elite that became insolently rich, as poverty increased and the country’s infrastructure collapsed. There was also general unrest in the country,” he said.

Additional Reports by Hereward Holland and Bate Felix Edited by Kevin Liffey and Grant McCool

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