The Guinean government has ordered the dissolution of 40 political parties, escalating political tensions months after the country’s military ruler secured a controversial presidential mandate.
The decree was issued late Friday by the Guinea Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, which said the affected parties failed to meet legal requirements such as filing financial statements and complying with administrative regulations.
The government ordered the closure of party headquarters and local offices, and banned the use of their logos, acronyms, and other identifying symbols.
The move comes as the West African nation prepares for legislative elections expected in May, a vote that is supposed to mark part of the country’s transition back to civilian rule following years of political upheaval.
Military Leader Consolidates Power
Guinea is currently led by Mamady Doumbouya, a former special forces commander who seized power in a 2021 coup d’état, which removed long-time president Alpha Condé from office.
Doumbouya later secured a seven-year presidential term in December, a result strongly disputed by opposition groups that accused the ruling authorities of manipulating the political process.
Guinea is strategically significant in West Africa because of its vast mineral wealth, including some of the world’s largest deposits of bauxite—a key raw material for aluminium production—as well as substantial iron ore reserves.
Opposition Condemns Crackdown
The dissolution of dozens of parties has drawn strong condemnation from the opposition.
In a video statement posted on social media, Cellou Dalein Diallo, Guinea’s main opposition leader, accused the ruling authorities of attempting to eliminate political competition and consolidate one-party rule.
Diallo said the government had “openly declared war” on its challengers and called on citizens to engage in “direct resistance,” though he did not specify what form such resistance should take.
“The head of the junta and his malevolent clique want to rewrite the country’s history by erasing from the political landscape all forces likely to overshadow his nascent one-party state,” Diallo said.
Diallo currently lives in exile outside Guinea, as does former president Alpha Condé, whose political party was also among those dissolved under the government decree.
