National and international condemnations have surged following the abduction of Foniké Menguè and Billo Bah during the night of Tuesday, July 9th to Wednesday, July 10th. In response, the Forces Vives de Guinée, comprising political parties and civil society organizations, are preparing a mobilization to protest against the widespread repression by the CNRD junta led by President Mamadi Doumbouya.
The Guinean Bar Association has gone on strike until the end of the month to protest the secret detention of Foniké Menguè and Billo Bah. Meanwhile, the Forces Vives de Guinée are calling for mobilizations both within and outside the country.
The primary demands are for the release of the two FNDC activists and the restoration of fundamental freedoms and constitutional order by the end of 2024, as initially promised by President Doumbouya.
Souleymane Souza Konaté, head of the Communications Commission of the Anad political coalition, part of the Forces Vives de Guinée, stated: “We condemn these kidnappings as irrefutable evidence of the CNRD’s authoritarian abuses and the faltering regime led by General Mamadi Doumbouya. If you protest for basic social services, you risk being killed. Guineans are being arrested or kidnapped daily and taken to Kassa, which has become a deportation zone for the CNRD. We suspect the CNRD of torturing our compatriots. This is why we continue to organize because we don’t know who will be next.”
Demonstrations are already planned for Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Paris, and early August in Belgium.
The escalating situation highlights the growing unrest in Guinea as opposition groups and civil society rally against the junta’s oppressive actions, calling for immediate international attention and intervention.