Envoys from West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS on Friday assured Alpha Conde, the Guinean president who was ousted and has been detained by the military since last week’s coup, is in good health, reported Reuters.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation visited Guinea on Friday as diplomatic pressure mounted on the country’s ruling military in the wake of Sunday’s power seizure.
The high-level diplomatic mission, led by its Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, and Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Alpha Barry, met President Conde on Friday. The envoys also hold talks with the leaders of the coup, including Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.
“President Alpha Condé is well,” said ECOWAS President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou after meeting the overthrown president in the coup leaders’ headquarters.
The ousted president, who has been ruling the country since 2010, has faced criticism since he assumed the third term in office in March 2020, effectively going beyond the constitutional two terms. He made an amendment to the country’s Constitution to seek a third term. He was re-elected in the election last year; however, the decision prompted protests across the nation.
Earlier this week, ECOWAS suspended Guinea’s membership to the 15-member bloc after Sunday’s coup but stopped short of imposing further sanctions. On Friday, the African Union (AU) also suspended Guinea from all bloc activities and decision-making bodies.
Meanwhile, the military junta on Thursday said that it has ordered the central bank and other banks to freeze all government accounts. A junta spokesman said the banking freeze was aimed at securing state assets.
He said the freeze has been imposed on public administrative and commercial establishments in all ministries and the presidency, presidential programs and projects, members of the outgoing government, senior officials, and administrators of state financial institutions.
