Statement by Civil Society Organisations and Citizens’ Movements in the West African sub-region on the political situation in the Republic of Guinea
The socio-political crises in Mali, the Republic of Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, compounded by serious health and economic crises, threaten democracy and stability in our sub-region in the short and medium term. This is happening amid growing insecurity caused by separatist and/or jihadist armed groups.
This situation has exposed the social limitations of our sub-regional institution, ECOWAS. It is led by our Presidents, who also serve as Heads of the Executive, and relies on an “Executive Commission” whose members they appoint, as well as an advisory Parliament whose members come from the National Assemblies of each member country.
This structure leaves the people with no means of overseeing the decisions taken by Presidents throughout their respective terms. This is reflected in the institutional situation in each member country, with the exception of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau — although Guinea-Bissau is being encouraged by its peers to abandon its parliamentary system in favour of theirs.
In the Republic of Guinea, 82-year-old Alpha Condé formally announced his candidacy on 3 September 2020, seeking a third term despite strong popular opposition that has cost hundreds of civilians their lives during protests repressed by Guinea’s defence and security forces.
The Guinean President’s decision confirms suspicions that he intended to seek a third term through a constitutional coup, which he planned and carried out on 22 March 2020 in violation of the Constitution and the democratic principles in force in the Republic of Guinea.
In doing so, Alpha Condé ignored the growing protest movement among his people. The overwhelming majority reject his third-term bid because of the immense risks it poses to the country and the West African sub-region.
United under the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), Guineans have used every legal means to oppose this plan, organising demonstrations and calling for resistance.
At this critical point in Guinea’s crisis, with the FNDC’s civic protests against a third term resuming in Conakry on Tuesday 29 September 2020 and Alpha Condé’s candidacy for the 18 October presidential election being contested, mobilisation by sub-regional civil society and all democrats is essential to preserve democracy, peace and stability in the country. Keeping Alpha Condé in power beyond his two terms poses a potential and imminent threat to peace and stability in Guinea and the sub-region.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements that have signed this statement support the people of Guinea and the FNDC, which is at the forefront of the protest movement. They demand the immediate and unconditional release of all activists being unlawfully detained, as well as investigations into the killings and violence.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements pay tribute to the people of Guinea, who have been fighting bravely for months for a democratic transfer of power and respect for democratic principles and the rule of law.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements that have signed this statement strongly condemn the serious human rights violations in Guinea. They express their deep indignation and concern at the increasing number of unacceptable speeches by Mr Alpha Condé, who is deliberately fuelling ethnic hatred and openly calling for war in his own country.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements call on the President of the Republic of Guinea to submit to the requirements of the rule of law, one of whose pillars is democratic alternation.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements call on:
- The United Nations to move from the principle of subsidiarity to direct action, since that principle has shown its limitations in ECOWAS’s handling of the crisis in Guinea and has hindered the international community’s involvement and mobilisation to prevent chaos in the Republic of Guinea;
- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to work towards sending an international commission of inquiry to the Republic of Guinea to investigate serious human rights violations recorded during FNDC protests.
The West African civil society organisations and citizens’ movements reaffirm their readiness to support the people of Guinea in their legitimate struggle to establish a democratic culture in the Republic of Guinea.
Long live the African Union of the Peoples!
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Signatories:
- Y’en A Marre Movement (Senegal)
- Balai Citoyen (Burkina Faso)
- Afrikajom Center
- Tournons La Page (Niger)
- Tournons La Page Côte d’Ivoire
- African Meeting for the Defence of Human Rights
- Senegalese League for the Defence of Human Rights (Senegal)
- Tournons La Page (Guinea)
- AfricTivistes
- NGO3D (Senegal)
- Africans Ricing
- Collective of Civil Society Organisations for Elections (COSCE) – Senegal
- Togo DEBOUT Citizens’ Front
- FNDC (Guinea)
- Research and Advisory Group for Participatory Democracy and Good Governance (GRADEC) – Senegal
- Mazine NDIAYE (Senegal)
- RADI (Research–Action for Integrated Development) – Senegal
- Senegalese Social Forum
- Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) – Nigeria
Press contacts:
Aliou SANE, Coordinator of the Y’en A Marre Movement (Senegal): +221 77 517 63 05
Ibrahima DIALLO, Coordinator of Tournons La Page (Guinea): +224 622 30 29 30
