Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya is expected to return to Conakry on Friday, August 14, at 11:00 a.m., after his annual leave, the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic announced on Thursday, concluding an unprecedented series of institutional communications surrounding his temporary absence.
According to the official statement, the Guinean head of state will be welcomed at Ahmed Sékou Toure International Airport at a ceremony bringing together the country’s principal civil, military, and diplomatic authorities, including the Speaker of the National Assembly, the prime minister, members of the government, heads of republican institutions, armed forces chiefs, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions and international organisations.
The announcement comes a few days after the release of a message in which Mamadi Doumbouya affirmed that his commitment to serving Guinea remained absolute, despite a brief respite spent at sea with his wife.
“Guinea is moving forward, its institutions are functioning, and nothing will deter us from our determination to lead the nation toward the goals we have set together,” he declared through his official channels.
His imminent return thus marks the culmination of a communication strategy that began with the official announcement of his departure for a private stay of a few days in Greece with his family, presented by the presidency as a first in Guinea’s recent political history in the name of institutional transparency.
During his departure from Conakry, Mamadi Doumbouya was seen off by Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, several high-ranking officials from the presidency, representatives of republican institutions, the armed
forces, and the diplomatic corps.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces subsequently issued a statement reaffirming its “unwavering loyalty” to the president, and the Guinean people, while calling on the population to remain calm in the face of rumours.
By announcing his return, the Guinean presidency puts an end to a sequence during which the head of state sought to reassure the citizenry about the continuity of public functions, emphasising on several occasions that the institutions continued being functional while he was absent.
AC/fss/as/APA