Africa-Press – Liberia. President George Weah has become uneasy with the news of a military takeover in neighboring Guinea on Sunday, September 5, 2021. Besides his cordial relationship with his political father, president Alpha Conde, 83 years old, he sees that coup as disturbing for the region. So, on Monday, an emergency cabinet was called to, among other discuss the situation in Guinea.
A release issued in Monrovia by the office of the President of Liberia says in the wake of an apparent Coup d’etat in neighboring Guinea, President Weah expressed deep concern about unfolding political developments and called on all sides in the ongoing political situation to refrain from violence, uphold the rule of law and ensure calm.
President Weah who was once peace ambassador, does not believe in any form of violence. President Weah is also calling for the immediate release of President Alpha Condé, who has reportedly been detained by soldiers staging a revolt against his rule.
But at the emergency cabinet meeting on Monday President Dr. George Manneh Weah mandated the National Security Forces of Liberia to increase their vigilance and visibility along the border with Guinea as the situation remains fluid.
President Weah has also ordered that usual patrols must be strengthened by the relevant security forces who already have presence in the bordering areas.
The Commander in Chief- of the Armed Forces of Liberia said these measures are intended to protect Liberia’s territorial integrity and put the country in potential readiness to address any possible border influx of Guinean citizens who might want to seek refuge in the country.
President Weah remains engaged with his fellow West African Leaders under the framework of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS in intervening to end the security and political impasse in neighboring Guinea.
Meanwhile, an extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS is scheduled to be held Thursday, September 9, 2021 in Accra Ghana with President Dr George M. Weah expected to be in attendance. The Summit is to review the security and political crisis in Guinea and adopt a common approach and strategy in regional body’s intervention.
But while the cabinet meeting was ongoing, the leaders of the military coup promised on Monday to set up a transitional government of national unity after ousting President Alpha Conde and dissolving his cabinet.
According to Reuters, Sunday’s coup, in which Conde and other top politicians were detained or barred from travelling, is the third since April in West and Central Africa, raising concerns about a slide back to military rule in a region that had made strides towards multi-party democracy since the 1990s.
The takeover was widely condemned by international powers, placing pressure on the new military leaders to offer a plan beyond the toppling of the old order, and to reassure investors that Guinea’s significant ore exports would not be cut.
“A consultation will be carried out to define the major framework of the transition, then a government of national unity will be put in place to lead the transition,” coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire officer, told a meeting of Conde’s ministers and senior government officials.
“At the end of this transitional phase, we’ll set the tone for a new era for governance and economic development,” he said, flanked by armed soldiers in red berets. Doumbouya did not say what the transition would entail or give a date for a return to democratic elections.
His seizure of power was buoyed by widespread disaffection with Conde, 83, who promised stable democracy but once in power violently silenced opponents, failed to reduce poverty and last year decided to run for a third term in power – a move many said was illegal.
The coup was welcomed by many, but spooked the mining sector. Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves, an ore used to produce aluminium. Prices of the metal shot to a 10-year high on Monday, though there was no sign of supply disruptions.
