The Nigerian Government has condemned what it describes as an apparent coup d’état in the Republic of Guinea. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Esther Sunsuwa, made the position of the government known in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, the takeover of power by the military is in clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. “The Government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property,” it said.
The statement was issued following reports that special forces in Guinea have taken over power in what appears to be a new twist in the political unrest in the West African country. As a result, incumbent President Alpha Conde who has been in office since December 2010, was said to have been arrested by the soldiers. “We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution,” a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers wielding assault rifles was quoted as saying in a video sent to AFP. The soldier announced that Guinea’s land and air borders have been shut and that the government had been dissolved.
Thereafter, the head of Guinea’s military special forces, Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, was said to have appeared on public television.
