Guinea has been suspended from the West African regional bloc Ecowas following the coup that overthrew President Alpha Condé on Sunday, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry has said.
The bloc also demanded Mr Condé’s release from custody, he added.
Leaders of the 15-nation bloc held a virtual meeting to discuss the coup waged by elite troops led by the 41-year-old Col Mamady Doumbouya.
He accused Mr Condé, 83, of rampant corruption and human rights abuses. The deposed president’s whereabouts are unclear, although the coup leaders have said he is safe.
Guinea is one of the world’s biggest producers of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, and prices have leapt to a 13-year-high following the coup.
The junta released about 80 political prisoners who had been detained during Condé’s rule. Around 400 people had been imprisoned during protests in 2020.
Many of those released were arrested last year during massive nationwide protests against Mr Condé’s plan to stand for a third term.
“I feel free, free, free, thank you to the people,” said Ismaël Condé, a member of the opposition UFDG party, and no relation to the former president.
He said his time in prison had been difficult, but he was now hoping for a better future for his country:
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