The African Union (AU) said on Friday that it was suspending the Guinea’s membership in the bloc after a military junta overthrew the government.
What did the African Union say?
The bloc said on Twitter that the country was suspended from all AU activities and decision making bodies.
The AU’s department of Political Affairs Peace and Security has urged AU Chairperson Moussa Faki “to engage with shareholders in the region.”
The ruling junta, led by Colonel Marmady Doumbouya, took control of the West African country on Sunday and arrested President Alpha Conde. Junta leaders have accused Conde of being corrupt.
Guinea junta also criticized by ECOWAS, UN
Guinea was also recently suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) due to the coup. The 15-nation bloc has called for an “immediate return to constitutional order” in the country, with an ECOWAS delegation set to arrive in the country’s capital, Conakry, on Friday to hold talks with the junta.
In addition, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned the ruling military junta and called for Conde’s release.
Conde, who came into office in 2010, was the country’s first democratically-elected leader since independence from France in 1958. He won a third term last year in the 2020 presidential election, with the opposition deeming it fraudulent.
Although the country is rich in minerals such as bauxite, much of the population lives in poverty.
