“Military solution will settle several things” in Guinea

The soldiers who took power in Guinea seem to want to obtain the support of the nation’s vital forces to manage the post-Alpha Condé. The consultations initiated for this purpose are promising, according to the statements of the leaders of the political parties.

Achieving “transparent and acceptable elections” in Guinea at the end of a transition that has barely begun, is the hope that has animated the Guinean opposition since September 5, 2021, soldiers from the group of special forces took power.

At the end of October 2020, this same opposition denounced fraud “on a large scale”, when at 82 years old, Alpha Condé was re-elected for a third presidential term, after an electoral process punctuated by strong tensions and deadly violence.

The Guinean opposition had also denounced the government’s controversial constitutional revision to pave the way for this third term. The demonstrations organized at the time were then severely repressed.

“This power had become aggressive to the point that we lost more than 200 people in the demonstrations in Guinea against the third term of Alpha Condé”, recalls Sidya Touré, the president of the Union of republican forces of Guinea (UFR), during an interview with Sputnik.

This former Prime Minister (1996-1999) is the coordinator of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) at the origin of the demonstrations against the constitutional revision operated by Alpha Condé. “These problems, we could not solve them by demonstrations”, he affirms, so that “the change of regime in Guinea is a new opening” to be considered “to ensure that the transition leads to a democratic, inclusive election with the participation of all”.

A vision shared, says Sidya Touré, other leaders of the Guinean opposition the day after the start of consultations with the forces of the Guinean nation, on September 14 at the presidential palace in Guinea.

This is an initiative of the putschist military gathered within the National Committee for Rally and Development (CNRD) to pave the way for a definition of a framework for the political transition, which should ultimately bring civilians back to power.

“I was the first to speak following the introductory speech by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya [the head of the junta, editor’s note], to express our desire to support this transition given the deleterious situation that prevailed in our country for some time. We believe that the military solution has settled several things that will improve. Thanks to this contact with civilians in a political framework,” said Sidya Touré during the interview.

The former Prime Minister of Guinea also specified that he would send in the form of a memo the priorities of his party and those of the FNDC coalition to the ruling junta. “We believe that the transition will be made, that it will end, and that there will be new elections. I don’t see any other solution,” he adds.

“The best interests of the nation”

Several political party leaders, including Cellou Dalein Diallo, the leader of the opposition in Guinea, were also present at this first meeting of the consultations, which will continue until September 17, 2021.

“In his speech, [Colonel Doumbouya, editor’s note] said he wished to have the contribution of all parties in the construction of this transition, in the definition of its terms, of its missions,” he told Ledjely.com, a local site.

The leader of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDC) was also satisfied with “the commitment of the President of the CNRD in favor of an inclusive conduct of the transition and that, in the best interests of the nation, the proposals that will be made will be taken into account as far as possible”.

“We are returning to our headquarters and our respective alliances to try to formulate in writing our vision, our proposals to be submitted to the new authorities,” Cellou Dalein Diallo told the Guinean media.

Also present at this meeting was Saloum Cissé, the general secretariat of the Rally of the People of Guinea (RPG), the party of Alpha Condé.

In addition to the political leaders, these consultations involve “the representatives of each of the four regional coordinations, the heads of the various religious confessions, the presidents of the organizations of the civil society, the representations of the diplomatic missions, the representations of the associations of Guineans abroad”, According to a CNRD press release read on national television, Saturday, September 11.

The bosses of the various mining companies established in Guinea, the presidents of the various employers’ organizations, the directors of primary and microfinance banks, and the representatives of the various trade union centers will complete the consultations, according to the same press release.