In a recent development, Guinea’s ruling junta has instructed the initiation of fresh charges against former President Alpha Condé, who was deposed in a 2021 coup.
The justice minister, Alphonse Charles Wright, conveyed in a letter to the Conakry public prosecutor that Condé is accused of “treason” and involvement in “criminal conspiracy” and “complicity in the illegal possession of arms and munitions.”
Alpha Condé, who held office from 2010 to 2021, currently resides in Turkey following his exile after the coup. He is already facing charges of “corruption,” as well as more severe allegations such as “murder, torture, kidnapping, and rape” in a country where political dissent is often met with brutal repression.
The justice minister’s letter alleges that Condé, in collaboration with Fodé Moussa Mara, a prominent blogger and Condé supporter, took actions to acquire weapons, ammunition, and related materials. However, specific details regarding the nature and quantity of these weapons were not disclosed.
The 2010 democratically elected president faced protests and repression when he sought to extend his tenure for a third term, leading to his eventual overthrow.
Since the 2021 coup, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has assumed the presidency and, under international pressure, pledged to transfer power to elected civilians by January 2023.
The government, keen on rebuilding a nation plagued by divisions and corruption, has initiated numerous prosecutions against individuals associated with the former president.
Guinea’s political landscape continues to be marked by upheaval, with the 2021 coup being one of several incidents that have unsettled West Africa since a group of colonels seized power in Mali in August 2020.
