Guinea has dissolved 40 political parties, including its three main opposition groups, by late-night decree, two months after former junta leader Mamadi Doumbouya was sworn in as president.
Doumbouya, who rules Guinea with an iron fist, was elected in late December in a vote that barred all major opposition leaders.
Guinea’s Minister of Regional Administration and Decentralization late on Friday ordered the dissolution of the parties for “failing to fulfill their obligations”.
The order also removed control of his assets.
Doumbouya has cracked down on civil liberties and banned protests since coming to power in a 2021 coup.
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Political opponents have been arrested, prosecuted or exiled, while enforced disappearances and kidnappings have multiplied.
The disbanded groups included Guinea’s three main political parties: the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) led by its exiled leader Seleu Daylin Diallo, the Rally of the People of Guinea (RPG) led by former president Alpha Conde, and the Union of Republican Forces (Republican Forces).
“This dissolution shall result in the immediate loss of legal personality and status of the parties concerned,” the order said.
That includes the use of “abbreviations, logos, emblems and other distinctive symbols” associated with “all political activities” and groups, it said.
The parties’ assets were placed under “sequestration” with a curator appointed to oversee their transfer, the decree said, without specifying to whom or to what entity.
Civil society movements condemned the dissolution of the parties on Saturday, calling it an autocratic power grab.
Guinea: Doumbouya’s power leaves opponents speechless with fear
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The move “formalized the dictatorship that is now established as a mode of governance. The country is sinking into deep uncertainty,” said Ibrahima Diallo, leader of the pro-democracy National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC).
Two well-known FNDC activists, Omar Silla, also known as Fonike Mengue, and Mamadou Billo Bah have been missing since July 2024.
New constitution, same leader
Doumbouya, 41, came to power in 2021 when he ousted Condé, Guinea’s first freely elected president.
Guinea’s new constitution, approved in a referendum last September, allows members of the junta, including Doumbouya, to stand for election and extends presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.
Not only did the voice of opposition disappear on Doumbouya’s watch, but so did his family members.
Earlier this week, three relatives of Tibou Kamara, a former minister and spokesman under Conde, were kidnapped.
Four family members of exiled musician and opposition figure Eli Kamano were kidnapped in November, and the father of exiled journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was kidnapped in September.
Guinea has had a complicated history of military and authoritarian rule since independence in 1958.
The country is rich in minerals, but according to 2024 World Bank statistics, more than half of its inhabitants live below the poverty line.
(With FRANCE 24 AFP)
(tags to be translated)Africa(T)Guinea Conakry(T)Mamadi Doumbouya(T)Alpha Conde(T)Sellou Daylin Diallo(T)West Africa(T)African Politics
