The Military Consolidates Power Takeover, Guinean Opposition Leader: We Are Ready To Participate

Military convoy after the takeover of power in Guinea. (Wikimedia Commons/Aboubamarkhoraa)

JAKARTA - The leader of Guinea's main opposition said on Tuesday it was open to participating in the transition after last weekend's military coup when the army that seized power consolidated their takeover.

President Alpha Conde and top politicians have been detained or barred from traveling as a power takeover was led by the commander of Guinea's elite forces Mamady Doumbouya. Regional leaders will meet to discuss Guinea on Wednesday instead of Thursday as previously suggested.

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former officer in the French Foreign Legion, has promised a transitional government of national unity, as well as a new era for governance and economic development. However, he has not explained exactly what will happen, or given a timeframe.

In response to the current situation, Guinea's main opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, told Reuters on Tuesday he had not been consulted about the transition but was prepared to participate.

"We will send representatives, why not, to participate in the process of bringing the country back to constitutional order", said Diallo, a former prime minister who is Conde's rival in three consecutive presidential elections.

During his decades in power, Conde steered Guinea through economic growth, but unemployment remains high. A survey by Afrobarometer shows the majority of Guineans think corruption levels have increased, while dissatisfaction with the economy and personal living conditions has also increased. Diallo said corruption was endemic under Conde.

"An elite who enriches himself in a brash way, while poverty is increasing and the country's infrastructure is collapsing. There is also a general malaise in this country", he said.

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

Moving to consolidate their power, the soldiers who led the coup had placed military officers at the top of the eight regions and administrative districts of Guinea.

Earlier, the elite forces of Guinea's national army announced they had seized power, ousting President Alpha Conde in an attempted coup, following gunfire around the presidential palace in Conakry on Sunday.

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, head of the unit and leader of the coup attempt, said the move was caused by corruption which led to poverty in the country.

"Endemic poverty and corruption have prompted troops to remove President Alpha Conde from office. We have dissolved the government and institutions. We will rewrite the constitution together", said Doumbouya.