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Former Guinean President Alpha Conde, ousted in a 2021 coup, has accused the country’s ruling military junta of attempting to suppress political opposition after it suspended his party along with several others.
On Friday, the junta, led by General Mamadi Doumbouya, announced a three-month suspension of 28 political parties, including Conde’s Rally of the People of Guinea (RPG) and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) of opposition leader Sidya Toure, who is also living in exile. The military cited the parties’ failure to submit bank account details or hold a congress within the past three months as justification for the suspension.
In addition to the suspensions, authorities dissolved 27 political parties and placed four others under observation. However, 75 parties, including that of exiled opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, were allowed to continue political activities, provided they hold a congress within 45 days.
These moves come over increasing political tensions, marked by the disappearance of several opposition figures and growing restrictions on civil liberties. Conde took to social media to denounce the junta’s actions, stating, “The junta wants to silence you. It is trying to impose on you a choice that is not yours: that of submission and renunciation.”
Opposition groups have also condemned the decision, accusing the military government of attempting to “weaken or even eliminate from the political scene the most representative parties in the country.”
Guinea’s junta originally pledged under international pressure to restore civilian rule by the end of 2024, a promise it has yet to fulfill. However, in his New Year’s address, Doumbouya insisted that 2025 would be a “crucial electoral year to return to constitutional order.”
