APA-Conakry (Guinea) A peaceful series of marches are being planned for March 9th in Greater Conakry to denounce the alleged harassment of politicians and the integrity of the transition in Guinea.
The demonstrations are being spearheaded by the ‘Vital Forces of Guinea’ (FVG) coalition, which is made up of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), the Forum of Political Forces (FFP), the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea (FFSG), and the National Alliance for Democratic Change (ANAD), as well as the FNDC-political and the RPG-AEC and Allies.
This peaceful march, whose itinerary has not been communicated for the moment, aims, according to the organisers, to demand “an end to the judicial harassment of civil society actors and political leaders, some of whom have been arbitrarily detained without trial for months.”
In addition, the FVG “demand the immediate implementation of the decisions of the last ECOWAS summit held in Addis Ababa on the sidelines of the AU summit, in particular the organisation of an inclusive and credible dialogue with the nation’s driving forces to define in a consensual manner the conditions for a return to constitutional order.”
The political and civil society leaders also demand “the lifting of the suspension of peaceful demonstrations in the streets and public squares to respect the transition charter and international commitments of the Republic of Guinea.”
The political front also denounces the lack of transparency in the “management of public funds” since the arrival of the transitional government and “the recurrent violations of the public procurement code through the massive awarding of contracts by mutual agreement to supporters of the junta, thus promoting corruption and illicit enrichment of the ruling class while the majority of the population vegetates in misery,” said the organisers in a note seen by APA.
The FVG invite the population of Greater Conakry to mobilise massively on Thursday, March 9, 2023 to demand strict compliance with the transition charter, the implementation of ECOWAS decisions and the respect of commitments made by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya during his speech of September 5, 2021, they said.
In Guinea, the National Committee of the Rally for Development (CNRD) has prohibited since May 13, 2022 all demonstrations on public highways “likely to compromise social peace and the proper execution of activities contained in the timetable.”
The last demonstration called by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution on February 16, 2023, resulted in the death of three demonstrators from gunshots according to the organisers and several injuries.
In response to this call for a demonstration, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation (MATD) threatened to suspend political parties in accordance with the 1991 political party charter.
ASD/cgd/fss/as/APA