Guinea’s interim government on Friday said former President Alpha Conde has been freed from house arrest more than seven months after he was ousted in a military coup, reported Reuters.
The 84-year-old Conde, who became the first democratically elected president of Guinea in 2010, had been detained since last September when the army overthrew him on allegations of fostering endemic state corruption. He was replaced by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.
The coup followed mass protests over Conde’s successful bid for a third term in office, a move critics said breached the constitution.
Guinea’s ruling junta government has allowed the former president to receive visitors, and earlier this month allowed him to travel to the United Arab Emirates for a medical checkup.
In a statement, the interim government said Conde will continue to live at his wife’s family home in a suburb of the capital Conakry until renovations on his own home are completed.
Conde’s ousting was widely condemned by Guinea’s allies, and led to its suspension from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The 15-nation bloc sanctioned the junta leaders and has set an April 25 deadline for them to present a timeline for a return to constitutional rule. His release was one of the demands made by the West African bloc after the coup.
Coup leader Colonel Doumbouya has vowed to restore civilian rule and hold free, credible, and transparent elections but has so far refused to announce an exact date despite international pressure to do so.
Last week, Guinean Prime Minister Mohamed Béavogui’s government announced the return of constitutional order wouldn’t take place before a general census was conducted.
Guinea is among one of three countries in the West African region where the military seized power in the space of just 18 months, along with Mali and Burkina Faso.
