Guinea’s president is detained in apparent military takeover

The military has seized control of Guinea, dissolved its government and sealed the borders, Doumbouya said, citing “the trampling of the rights of citizens” and “the disrespect of democratic principles” as motivations for the uprising.

Military officers repeated the claims on national television with Guinea’s red, green and yellow flag draped on their shoulders.

Condé, 83, took office 11 years ago in the country’s first democratic election since independence from France in 1958. He pledged to steer the nation of roughly 13 million out of a culture of corruption that had shaped decades of authoritarian rule.

But Condé sparked deadly riots last fall after he sought a third term in what critics blasted as defiance of Guinea’s constitution. He argued that constitutional changes had reset the clock on his allowed number of terms.

On Sunday, photos and video circulating on WhatsApp showed the president flanked by men in military fatigues. A silent Condé, wearing jeans and a tie-dyed dress shirt, kept his gaze from the camera.

Several soldiers and the president’s bodyguards died in the clashes, local media reported.

Bah reported from Conakry.