Coup d'état in Guinea today, where the head of military special forces, Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a former Foreign Legion officer, announced on state television that he had "dissolved the government and canceled the Constitution" and had captured the president Alpha Conde.
Doumbouya said he overthrew the government due to "mismanagement" at the end of a confusing day of gunfire and fear for the capital's residents and conflicting news. Witnesses reported early morning gunshots and military personnel in the streets of the central Kaloum neighborhood, where the president was staying. Then the coup leaders proclaimed his capture while, in the same hours, the government received announcements of an attempt rejected with the arrest of 25 rebels.
The UN condemned the action, calling for Conde's release. In the deserted streets only men in uniform wander around. Civilians are kept safe, including the Moroccan national football team, which was due to play a qualifying match for the World Cup with Guinea tomorrow, which has remained locked in a hotel waiting for a flight to take it home.