Broken Promises

Guinea’s main opposition coalition withdrew its members from the country’s legislative body, accusing the ruling military junta of stalling the democratic transition after missing last month’s deadline to begin the process, a delay that sparked protests in the West African nation, the Associated Press reported.

The Forces Vives de Guinée coalition – which includes major opposition parties like the Rally of the Guinean People and the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea – accused the junta of holding the country “hostage.” It called its withdrawal from the National Transitional Council a protest at the government’s failure to meet its commitments.

The council is made up of 81 members tasked with drafting a new constitution and has served as Guinea’s legislative authority since the military, led by Col. Mamady Doumbouya, seized power in 2021.

In 2022, Doumbouya had agreed to launch a democratic transition by Dec. 31, 2024, but failed to meet the deadline. Instead, he said in his New Year’s message that the country would hold a constitutional referendum to begin the transition, without specifying a timeline.

Critics dismissed the announcement as a ploy to prolong military rule.

The coalition’s withdrawal comes two weeks after protests erupted in the capital Conakry.

The anti-junta demonstrations left one protester dead and led to the detention of hundreds, according to opposition figures.

The government has not commented on the unrest, Euronews noted.

The Forces Vives de Guinée coalition and others have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the junta’s actions. These include the dissolution of more than 50 political parties last year, which the government claimed was necessary to “clean up the political chessboard.”

Human rights groups have also reported increasing crackdowns on independent media, such as frequent suspensions of social media networks and the arrests of journalists.