Military Junta Defines New Governance Structures in Guinea

On Tuesday morning, Guinea-Conakry's Military Junta issued “the Transition Charter”, which will be the country's fundamental law while a new Constitution is drawn up.

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This document establishes a "transition period" in which the National Committee for Grouping and Development (CNRD) will be chaired by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. The head of the Government will fall to a prime minister, who will be a "civil personality recognized for his convictions, proven skills, and moral integrity."

The institution to function as Congress will be the National Transition Council, which will be made up of 81 members from political parties, social groups, unions, business organizations and security forces. The Charter also specifies that the duration of the transition period will be set by mutual agreement between the CNRD and the country's leading organizations.

Guinea-Conakry, formerly known as French Guinea,  is one of the poorest countries in the world but it has one of the largest reserves of bauxite, a raw material for the production of aluminum.

In October 2020, President Alpha Conde ran for election after holding a referendum that amended the constitution and allowed him to stand for reelection for the third time. His attempts to stay in power generated violent protests, which opened the opportunity for a coup on September 5.

After being overthrown, he was detained by members of the Army Special Forces Group led by Doumbouya, who justified the breakdown of the political order by arguing that the military would create the conditions for "the rule of law." To do this, the coup plotters created the CNRD in order to "initiate a national consultation to open an inclusive and peaceful transition."

On Sept. 8, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Guinea-Conakry's participation in its institutions and events. Eight days later, the Community imposed sanctions against the coup leaders, demanded a return to constitutional order within six months, and requested the immediate release of Conde. This last request, however, was not accepted by the military junta.

The coup in Guinea-Conakry sparked fears of a democratic setback in West Africa, a region in which there have been two military uprisings in Mali since August 2020 and a coup in Chad after the death of President Idriss Deby in April.