Confusion reigns in Guinea.
This West African country, among the poorest in the world, was the scene on Sunday of an attempted coup, the outcome of which remains uncertain.
Special forces soldiers announced that they had captured President Alpha Condé and dissolved the institutions in force in the country.
Announcements that immediately aroused the condemnation of France and the UN but also scenes of jubilation in the capital, Conakry, proof of the mistrust of part of the people towards Condé.
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A former French colony, Guinea was ruled for decades by authoritarian, even dictatorial regimes, whether it was Sékou Touré, or his successor Lansana Conté, in power until his death in 2008. Two years later late, the Guineans went to their first democratic election to elect at the head of their country the one who was at the time a historical opponent, Alpha Condé.
Then, this former teacher by profession was re-elected in 2015 for a second term, following a vote punctuated by violence and accusations of fraud.
Alarming poverty, despite considerable resources
Tensions are heightened during his candidacy for a third term.
The election will be preceded and followed by the arrest of dozens of opponents.
Despite appeals denouncing "ballot box stuffing" and irregularities, Alpha Condé was proclaimed president for a third term on November 7, 2020.
For months, the West African country has been going through a deep political and economic crisis, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
And this despite considerable mining and hydrological resources.
The state is one of the world's leading producers of bauxite, the main ore for aluminum production.
The country still has deposits of iron, gold, diamonds and oil.
At the same time, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line, with less than one euro a day, according to the UN.
Authoritarian abuses
Now 83 years old, Alpha Condé was castigated for his authoritarian abuses, questioning the achievements of the beginning of his mandate.
He joined in the eyes of his opponents and international organizations, the ranks of some African leaders who remain in power beyond the expected term, using legal arguments.
Thus, he had adopted in March 2020, despite an already strong dispute, a new Constitution to, according to him, "modernize [the] institutions" and give more space to women and young people.
The opposition saw it as a constitutional "coup".
The protest has been severely repressed on several occasions.
For his part, the head of state prides himself on having advanced human rights and having rehabilitated a country he says he has found in ruins. Asked in October 2020 on France 24, he defended himself from wanting to establish a "presidency for life", assuring to be "a democrat". The new Constitution theoretically allows him to stand for re-election in six years. But the coup attempt, led by the putschists, could redistribute the cards of power in the coming weeks.