Guinea opposition calls for anti-junta protest on coup anniversary
The Living Forces of Guinea (FVG), an alliance of opposition parties, trade unions and civil society groups, urged demonstrators to turn out in the capital Conakry to denounce the junta's crackdown on dissent and to demand a return to civilian rule by the end of the year.
Picture: Wikimedia Commons
DAKAR - A Guinean opposition coalition on Thursday called for a peaceful anti-junta protest to take place on 5 September, which will mark three years to the day since the military seized power in a coup.
The Living Forces of Guinea (FVG), an alliance of opposition parties, trade unions and civil society groups, urged demonstrators to turn out in the capital Conakry to denounce the junta's crackdown on dissent and to demand a return to civilian rule by the end of the year.
The coalition "invites all Guineans to mobilise to demand justice for all the innocent victims" of the ruling National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD), the group said in a statement.
After seizing power in the West African nation in September 2021, the military leaders have made little secret of their intention to renege on their commitment, made under pressure from regional bloc ECOWAS, to hand over power by the end of 2024.
Junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who once served in France's Foreign Legion, has presided over the harsh repression of Guinea's opposition with many opponents detained or forced into exile.
The FVG called for "the restoration of public freedoms, the abandonment of whimsical legal proceedings against political leaders and civil society actors, and the return to constitutional order before 31 December 2024, in accordance with the commitments made in this respect."
The opposition alliance also said it was continuing to fight for the release of anti-junta activists Oumar Sylla, better known as Fonike Mengue, and Mamadou Billo Bah.
The two men "disappeared" after they were arrested on 9 July, according to the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), a pro-democracy movement, but Guinean authorities have denied detaining the pair.
The FVG also called on the junta to comply with the "all the provisions of the Transition Charter, including those prohibiting the participation of members of the CNRD, the CNT (the National Transitional Council) and the government in any elections".
A draft constitution presented by the junta at the end of July was swiftly rejected by the FVG, who said it would allow the military leaders to stand in elections and prevent a return to civilian rule.
The junta is due to put the constitution to a referendum before the end of the year.