Guinean Coup: West Africa Imposes Sanctions On Military Junta, Demands Transition Of Government In Six Months

Residents support a takeover by the Guinean military. (Wikimedia Commons/Aboubamarkhoraa)

JAKARTA - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on the junta in Guinea on Thursday and demanded it return the country to constitutional rule within six months, the bloc's commission president said.

At a briefing following an emergency meeting in Accra, Ghana, ECOWAS President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said his party would freeze bank accounts and impose travel bans on junta members and their relatives.

"Within six months elections must be held", Brou told a briefing, calling for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde, who was ousted in a military coup last week citing Reuters, September 17.

Regional leaders taking part in the summit lauded the mutually agreed tough measures, facing the third coup in West and Central Africa since April. The political turmoil has raised concerns about the deterioration of military rule in the resource-rich but poverty-stricken region.

The coup leaders in Guinea have not said how long the transitional government will last, or who will lead it. The junta, led by Mamady Doumbouya, commander of elite forces and a former member of the French Foreign Legion, held consultations this week with various community leaders, groups, and business leaders in the country to map out a transition framework.

As part of a four-day consultation, the junta on Thursday met with Guinea's main business lobby and executives of mining companies operating in the bauxite, gold, iron ore, and diamond sectors.

Among the participants at Conakry's talks was, general manager of Guinea's leading bauxite producer Société Minière de Boké (SMB), Frederic Bouzigues.

"Messages have been exchanged, we show our engagement and our desire to convince all of our investors to continue our work, addressing the challenges we face", he said, without providing details on what had been discussed with the junta.

SMB is owned by a consortium including Singapore shipping company Winning International Group, Shandong Weiqiao, a subsidiary of the world's leading private sector aluminum producer China Hongqiao and UMS International Guinea.