The leader of mutinous soldiers who deposed Guinean President Alpha Condé last month, Mamady Doumbouya, was on Friday inaugurated as the country’s int
The leader of mutinous soldiers who deposed Guinean President Alpha Condé last month, Mamady Doumbouya, was on Friday inaugurated as the country’s interim president.
The junta leader, a 41-year-old colonel and former ally of the deposed Mr Condé, was sworn in at a ceremony held at the Mohamed V Palace in the capital, Conakry, an event boycotted by most West African heads of state.
The coalition of the regional leaders under the auspices of ECOWAS, last month, imposed sanctions on the junta members and their relatives, froze their assets and imposed travel bans on them.
But this has not deterred the putschists’ resolve to take their pound of flesh by ousting Mr Condé – whom they accused of corruption, disregarding human rights and economic mismanagement – barely a year into his controversial third term reelection.
Regional powers would now hope that the new interim government propped by the country’s military will be for a short while and transition to civilian rule will return quickly.
In a picture shared by CNN network, Doumbouya was seen regaled in a cream ceremonial military uniform, a red beret and his trademark dark sunglasses, holding up white-gloved hand as he took the oath of office.
“I fully appreciate the magnitude and immensity of the responsibilities entrusted to me,” CNN quoted him as saying in a speech afterwards.
He pledged to broker transition to constitutional rule and electoral reforms, draft a new constitution and tackle corruption head on.
Although the junta did not say when it will hand over, it said its members will be barred from participating in the next elections, whose date will be decided by an 81-member Transitional National Council.
