Guinea’s ruling junta has agreed to return power to civilians after two years, giving up under threat of imminent sanctions to rule the country for three years, says a document from the Economic Community of African States. West (ECOWAS).
“In a dynamic compromise, experts from ECOWAS and Guinea have jointly developed a consolidated transition schedule (calendar) spread over 24 months”, says this document sent Friday, October 21 to an AFP correspondent and published on social networks by the junta. The document does not specify when this 24-month period begins.
Give way to civilians
Colonel Mamady Doumbouya took power by force on September 5, 2021 by overthrowing civilian President Alpha Condé with his men. He has since been sworn in as president.
He pledged to hand over to civilians after elections. The junta had so far affirmed its intention to govern for three years, the time for it to organize credible elections and carry out the major reforms necessary for what it calls a “refoundation” of the Guinean state.
ECOWAS considered such a delay unacceptable. On September 22, the leaders of the Member States meeting at a summit in New York without Guinea gave the authorities a month to present a timetable “reasonable and acceptable”otherwise “severe penalties” that those already imposed on the country would be applied.