The West African regional bloc suspends Guinea after a coup

CONAKRY, Sept. 8 (Reuters) – West Africa’s main political and economic bloc suspended Guinea’s membership on Wednesday following a military coup over the weekend that ousted President Alpha Conde. news in a wave of setbacks to democracy in the region.

During a virtual summit, the leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded the return to constitutional order and the immediate release of Conde, and also agreed to send a mission. high-level in Guinea as early as Thursday, he said. Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.

“By the end of this mission, ECOWAS should be able to re-examine its position,” Barry told reporters.

It did not announce any immediate economic sanctions against Guinea, as ECOWAS imposed against Mali after a coup there in August 2020.

Some experts say ECOWAS leverage with Guinea could be limited, in part because the country is not a member of the West African monetary union and is not as closed as Mali.

The response of the economic bloc is being seen up close amid criticism from pro-democracy advocates that it has not resisted strongly enough in recent months against the democratic backlash in West Africa.

ECOWAS remained silent last year as Conde and Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara sought third terms after changing the constitutions that would have forced them to step down, moves denounced as illegal. by his opponents.

Activists say this has contributed to the loss of faith of West Africans in democracy and has made military coups more likely.

The Mali army staged a second coup in May this year. ECOWAS said on Tuesday that it was concerned that the transitional authorities had not made sufficient progress towards the organization of the elections next February, as promised. Read more

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Guinea’s coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionary, has pledged to install a unified transitional government, but has not said when or how this will happen.

In an apparent gesture to Conde’s civilian opponents, at least 80 political prisoners detained by the president were released on Tuesday evening, many of whom had campaigned against his constitutional change.

Doumbouya also met for the first time on Tuesday with the leaders of Guinea’s various military branches, hoping to unify the country’s armed forces under the command of the junta.

Guinea’s main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who finished Conde’s runner-up in three consecutive elections, told Reuters on Tuesday that he would be open to participating in a transition to constitutional governance.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Conde’s party said it “signaled the advent of new authorities at the head of the country” and called for the president’s speedy and unconditional release.

Since the coup, life on the streets of Conakry seems to have returned to normal, with some military controls removed.

Fears that the power struggle could hinder the production of bauxite, a mineral used to make aluminum in Guinea, have begun to wane. The country’s main foreign operators say they have continued to operate without interruption.

Aluminum hit a new high of ten years on Monday after reports of unrest in Guinea, which has the world’s largest bauxite reserves. Doumbouya has promised that mining will continue unhindered.

Additional reports from Christian Akorlie in Accra; Written by Cooper Inveen and Aaron Ross, edited by Hereward Holland, Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones

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