Soldiers detain Guinea’s president, dissolve government

By BOUBACAR DIALLO and KRISTA LARSON

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Mutinous soldiers successful the West African federation of Guinea detained President Alpha Conde connected Sunday aft hours of dense gunfire rang retired adjacent the statesmanlike palace successful the capital, past announced connected authorities tv that the authorities had been dissolved successful an evident coup d’etat.

The country’s borders were closed and its constitution besides was declared invalid successful the announcement work aloud connected authorities tv by service Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who told Guineans: “The work of a worker is to prevention the country.”

Conde’s whereabouts had been chartless for hours aft the aggravated warring Sunday successful downtown Conakry until a video emerged showing the 83-year-old person bushed and disheveled successful subject custody. It was not instantly known erstwhile oregon wherever the video was taken, though a soldier’s dependable tin beryllium heard asking Conde whether the putschists had harmed him successful immoderate way.

Doumbouya, the commandant of the army’s peculiar forces unit, aboriginal addressed the federation from authorities tv headquarters, draped successful a Guinean emblem with astir a fractional twelve different soldiers flanked astatine his side.

“We volition nary longer entrust authorities to 1 man; we volition entrust it to the people,” Doumbouya said, without mentioning Conde by sanction oregon wherever helium was being held.

He aboriginal confirmed to France 24 tv that Conde was successful a “secure spot” and had seen a doctor.

A erstwhile U.S. diplomat successful Conakry confirmed to The Associated Press that the president had been taken into custody by the putschists. The diplomat, who was successful interaction with Guinean officials, spoke connected information of anonymity owed to the sensitivity of the matter.

Conde, successful powerfulness for much than a decade, had seen his popularity plummet since helium sought a 3rd word past year, saying that word limits did not use to him. Sunday’s melodramatic developments underscored however dissent had mounted wrong the subject arsenic well.

However, it was not instantly known however overmuch enactment Doumbouya really had wrong the subject and whether forces loyal to Conde mightiness effort to retake powerfulness successful the coming hours and days. In Sunday’s speech, Doumbouya called connected different soldiers “to enactment themselves connected the broadside of the people” and enactment successful their barracks.

Doumbouya said helium was acting successful the champion interests of the nation, citing a deficiency of economical advancement by leaders since the state gained independency from France successful 1958.

“If you spot the authorities of our roads, if you spot the authorities of our hospitals, you recognize that aft 72 years, it’s clip to aftermath up,” helium said. “We person to aftermath up.”

Observers, though accidental the tensions betwixt Guinea’s president and the service colonel stemmed from a caller connection to chopped immoderate subject salaries.

Heavy gunfire had erupted aboriginal Sunday adjacent the statesmanlike palace and went connected for hours, sparking fears successful a federation that already has seen aggregate coups and statesmanlike assassination attempts. The Defense Ministry claimed that the onslaught had been repelled by information forces, but uncertainty grew erstwhile determination was nary consequent motion of Conde connected authorities tv oregon radio.

In 2010, Conde had won the country’s archetypal antiauthoritarian predetermination since independency from France. Many saw his presidency arsenic a caller commencement for the country, which has been mired by decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule.

Opponents, though, accidental helium has failed to amended the lives of Guineans, astir of whom unrecorded successful poorness contempt the country’s immense mineral riches, which see bauxite and gold.

The pursuing twelvemonth Conde narrowly survived an assassination effort aft gunmen surrounded his location overnight and pounded his chamber with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades besides landed wrong the compound and 1 of his bodyguards was killed.

Violent thoroughfare demonstrations broke retired past twelvemonth aft Conde organized a referendum to modify the constitution. The unrest intensified aft helium won the October election, and the absorption said dozens were killed during the crisis.

Guinea has had a agelong past of governmental instability since independence. In 1984, Lansana Conte took power of the state aft the archetypal post-independence person died. He remained successful powerfulness for a 4th period until his decease successful 2009.

A 2nd coup soon followed, leaving service Capt. Moussa “Dadis” Camara successful charge. He aboriginal went into exile aft surviving an assassination attempt, and a transitional authorities aboriginal organized the landmark 2010 predetermination won by Conde.

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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal.