Reports from Guinea say, a group of soldiers from an elite unit claim they have overthrown President Alpha Condé, accusing him of corruption, mismanagement and poverty. The soldiers appeared on national TV claiming to have dissolved the government, after hours of heavy gunfire near the Presidential Palace in the capital, Conakry.
The fate of President Condé is unclear after an unverified video showed him surrounded by soldiers. However, the Defence Ministry sources said the Presidential Guard had thwarted the attempted takeover.
Numerous reports say the coup was led by an elite unit headed by a former French legionnaire, Lt. Col. Mamady Doumbouya.
In one unverified video, soldiers asked 83-year-old President Condé to confirm he was unharmed but he refused to respond.
His current whereabouts are unknown. Those behind the coup said that all land and air borders had been closed for a week.
President Condé was re-elected for a controversial 3rd Term in office amid violent protests in 2020.
Despite overseeing some economic progress, he has since been accused of presiding over numerous human rights abuses and harassment of his critics.
