Guinea opposition calls to resume anti-junta protests

Guinea's opposition on Tuesday called for renewed national protests against the West African country's junta whom they accuse of trying to prevent a return to civilian rule.

The Living Forces of Guinea (FVG), an alliance of opposition parties, trade unions and civil society groups, urged protesters to bring the capital Conakry to a standstill on August 12.

The junta seized power in a 2021 coup but under international pressure agreed to organise elections by the end of 2024.

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The FVG accuses the army-led authorities of wishing to prolong their grip on power by imposing restrictions on civil liberties and free speech.

The crackdown on dissent has led to a series of arrests of opposition figures, including anti-junta activists Oumar Sylla, better known as Fonike Mengue, and Mamadou Billo Bah.

The two men "disappeared" after they were arrested on July 9, according to the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC).

The pro-democracy movement the pair belonged to slammed their disappearance as a "kidnapping", but Guinean authorities deny detaining them.

Besides their "immediate and unconditional" release, the FVG is demanding the return of civilian rule before the end of the so-called transition period on December 31.

Military leaders toppled President Alpha Conde in September 2021, and the junta has made little secret of their intention to renege on their commitment, made under pressure from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, to hand over power by the end of 2024.

A draft constitution presented at the end of July was swiftly rejected by the FVG, who said it would allow the junta's military leaders to stand in elections.

Junta chief Mamadi Doumbouya, who once served in France's Foreign Legion, has presided over the harsh repression of Guinea's opposition with many opposition leaders being detained or forced into exile.

In 2022, the military-led authorities dissolved the FNDC after banning all demonstrations.