Guinea, one of the first 10 out of 38 countries that have deposited their instruments of ratification for the implementation of the continental free trade agreement, suffers a coup.
On Sunday, September 5, 2021, Special Forces soldiers ousted Guinea’s long-serving president and claimed to have dissolved his government and constitution and closed the nation’s land and air borders, forcing reprisal threats from the regional body, ECOWAS. Coup leader Col. Mamady Doumbouya cited increasing poverty and endemic corruption as the rationale for the coup that removed Alpha Conde from office.
“The personalization of politics of political life is over; we will no longer entrust politics to a man, we’ll entrust to the people. We come only for that. It is the duty of a soldier to save the country,” he says in his first address after the coup.
Gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in the capital of Conakry after which unauthenticated videos showed on social showing the ousted president in a room surrounded by special army forces hours later. The forces made several other arrests including senior government officials.
Alpha Conde won a third term in office after changing the country’s constitution to allow him to stand again, triggering violent protests from the opposition.
It is also reported that in recent weeks, the government had sharply increased taxes to replenish state coffers. ECOWAS, chaired by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, threatens to impose sanctions on the nation. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, whose nation is facing insecurity, holds a bilateral discussion with Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Accra.
Ethiopia is one of the first 20 out of 39 countries to bring their instruments of ratification for the implementation of the single continental trade agreement.The talk between the two countries centres on strengthening bilateral relations between Ghana and Ethiopia as well as exploring other areas of mutual interest to the two nations at the continental level.
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