Guinean politician, Cellou Dalein Diallo says he was “prevented” from leaving Conakry (Guinea) for Bamako in Mali, where he was expected to attend the funeral of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.
“My trip today to Bamako via Dakar was prevented by Alpha Conde. In fact, I intended to take part in the funeral of my friend Soumaila Cisse whose mortal remains are expected to arrive Thursday in Bamako and the burial scheduled for Friday after the great prayer,” Mr. Cellou wrote on Wednesday in an information note sent to APA.
According to Mr. Cellou, once at Conakry airport, his protocol director could not settle the formalities related to his trip to Bamako “on the instruction of the airport commissioner.”
“I walked towards the commissioner’s office. But the latter was nowhere to be found until the flight was closed. I then decided to return home quietly, disappointed to have been arbitrarily prevented from going to Bamako to accompany my friend Soumi to his final resting place,” lamented Mr. Cellou.
Former Prime Minister, President of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) and several times unsuccessful presidential candidates in Guinea, Cellou Dalein Diallo is considered the main opponent to the regime of President Alpha Conde.
Defeated in the Guinean October 18, 2020 presidential election, Mr. Cellou won, according to the Guinean electoral institution, 33.5 percent of the vote, against 59.49 percent for outgoing President Alpha Conde.
LB/ls/fss/as/APA