GUINEA’S new military rulers took the first steps towards formation of a transitional government following the September 5 coup that ousted President Alpha Conde, said Reuters citing the aspirations of Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.
Doumbouya, the coup leader, said in a short address Guinea should “not repeat the errors of the past” when building a new system of governance.
Doumbouya and the other soldiers behind the coup have said they ousted Conde because of concerns about poverty and corruption. Conde was serving a third term in power after altering the constitution to permit it.
The coup leaders say the week-long dialogue, which began with a meeting with the heads of the main political parties on Tuesday, will lay out the framework for a promised government of national unity and lead the country of 13.5 million people back to constitutional order.
But their seizure of power has been widely condemned by Guinea’s allies and regional organisations. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Guinea from its decision-making bodies and called for a short, civilian-lead transition.
It was also the third coup in West and Central Africa since April, intensifying concerns about a backslide towards military rule in a region rich in resources but many of whose people live in poverty, said Reuters.
The talks are expected to define the duration of the transition, what political and institutional reforms are needed before elections, and who will lead the transition, said the newswire.
“We are going to return to our respective staffs and alliances to try to formulate in writing our vision, our proposals that we will submit to the new authorities,” main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo said following the session.
