(Conakry) The ousted President of Guinea Alpha Condé, 83, overthrown in a military coup on September 5, was allowed to leave the country for medical examinations on Friday.
“In consultation with ECOWAS, former President Alpha Condé is authorized to go outside for a period of one month”, indicates a government statement read Friday evening on public television. The date of his departure has not been specified.
The release of Mr. Condé is part of the demands of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with the holding of elections within six months. The ECOWAS suspended Guinea from its instances and individually sanctioned the members of the junta led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who was made transitional president.
Mr. Condé, head of the country for nearly 11 years, was held incommunicado for twelve weeks, until the junta allowed him to reside with his wife in the suburbs of Conakry. He is under house arrest according to the press.
The junta said in a statement on September 17 that Alpha Condé “is and will remain in Guinea”.
The junta did not specify whether Mr. Condé’s stay with his wife was subject to restrictions on the part of the military.
The National Committee for the Rally for Development (CNRD), the junta which took over the country after the putsch, “will continue to ensure the former head of state a treatment worthy of his rank, and this without any pressure. national and international, ”said the press release.
Guineans, exasperated by poverty, corruption and repression, generally welcomed the coup. Colonel Doumbouya has promised to return power to civilians after elections, the date of which remains unknown.
Mr. Condé had a new Constitution adopted by referendum in March 2020 and invoked this change in fundamental law to stand for re-election after two terms, despite months of blood-suppressed protest. His re-election in October 2020, vigorously contested by the opposition, was preceded and followed by dozens of arrests.