Grace Ossongo – Yaoundé, Cameroon
On September 5th 2021, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew president Alpha Conde of Guinea 🇬🇳 in a military coup and immediately established military rule.
This was only one of a multitude of coups that took place in West Africa last year. Including coups in Mali 🇲🇱 and Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 whose government was overthrown earlier this year.
However, after establishing military rule, Doumbouya had agreed to hand over power to a civilian government during a 3 year transitional period.
Fast forward to August of 2022 and the situation seems to be taking a different direction with a shorter transitional deal reportedly already being made between Colonel Doumbouya and the head of state of Guinea-Bissau and also current president of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
The agreement was reportedly done behind the scenes between the two parties. Well, that’s until Embalo had to “spill the beans” on the agreement in a conference with French president Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the country following eight days of silence, since it was at the behest of Col. Doumbouya to reveal the agreement as diplomatic protocol would demand.
The new agreement stipulates a shorter 2 year transitional period to civilian rule. One year earlier than the original agreement.
This new agreement is undoubtedly a huge step forward for Guinea as the country struggles for political stability.
