The coup affected the world aluminum market
Rebels led by Special Forces Colonel Mamadi Dumbuya seized power in Guinea. The military reported the overthrow and detention of 83-year-old President Alpha Conde. The rebels in the country “until further notice” imposed a curfew, closed the borders and announced the dissolution of the government and the repeal of the current constitution. It should be noted that the coup in the Republic of West Africa could seriously affect the global aluminum market.
Photo: AP
According to the rebels, the president is in a safe place under their supervision and nothing threatens his health. Later, videos and photos even appeared on social networks, in which a man like Conde sits in a relaxed position on the couch, surrounded by several armed people. However, he was barefoot and in an unbuttoned shirt.
Rebel leader Colonel Mamadi Dumbuya, known as a former French legionnaire, spoke on television about the overthrow of Alpha Conde. The head of the elite army unit said that “poverty and widespread corruption” forced his troops to remove the head of state from office.
“We have dissolved the government and suspended the work of state institutions,” said the head of the coup. – Our forces have also closed Guinea's land and air borders and a transitional government will be formed very soon. We will rewrite the constitution together. The personalization of political life is over. We will no longer trust her with one person. We will trust her people. Dismissed from power, Alpha Conde became President of Guinea in the summer of 2010. A year later, he survived an assassination attempt – they fired a grenade launcher at the Condé residence, but the head of state was not injured because he spent a happy coincidence. night in another room.
Condé was re-elected President for a second term in October 2015 and won an absolute majority in the first round of voting. The opposition accused the authorities of fraud, but could not interfere in the second term of the head of state.
After Condé presented a draft of a new constitution at the end of 2019, allowing him to be elected for a third term (and the corresponding amendments were approved in a referendum), protests erupted in the country. Nevertheless, Condé was declared the winner in the October elections last year.
And now Alfa Condé has been overthrown. The rebel leader, Colonel Dumbuya, said he had taken over as leader of the National Committee for Cohesion and Development. He said the committee's goal would be to “unite all the country's citizens in solving internal problems.” It is noted that he will operate in the republic “until further notice”.
Compliance with the measures is expected to be monitored by the gendarmerie and police. In addition, the rebels planned to meet with ministers and heads of departments in the main palace of the people. Any refusal to attend the meeting will be considered “an uprising against the committee”.
Meanwhile, according to the Guinea-Matin portal, crowds of people took to the streets of the capital of the Republic of Conakry. Many applauded the military, welcomed the regime change, and rejoiced at the country's arrest.
One Conakry resident told Deutsche Welle that because of the “deplorable situation in the country”, many were happy about the change of power: “People suffer so much – there is no water, no electricity, not even the streets! We're all tired of it. “
However, some citizens were still “disappointed” that the local army had failed to manage one special forces unit and failed to provide the president with sufficient security.
The world community is actively responding to the events in Guinea. The African Union and the United Nations condemned the coup and demanded the immediate release of President Condé. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was closely monitoring the situation in the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also demanded the release of the head of Guinea and securing his immunity. A comment posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website emphasizes that “Moscow is opposed to any attempts at unconstitutional change of government.”
Due to the coup, Guinea Foreign Minister Ibrahim Khalil Kab's visit to Moscow had to be canceled. (September 6 – 8).
Guinea is an important partner of Russia in Africa. Bilateral trade in 2020 was $ 155.2 million, including exports – $ 57.9 million, imports – $ 97.2 million. The structure of Russian exports is dominated by vehicles, food products and agricultural raw materials.
Imports from the Republic of Guinea in 2020 to Russia were 100% at the expense of bauxite (their reserves are the largest there in the world). They go to Russian smelters for aluminum, they provide about 25% of aluminum production in our country. In Guinea, Russian companies are also involved in gold mining, geological exploration, construction and assembly work, etc.
As a result of Monday's coup, aluminum prices have reached a 10-year high. Unsurprisingly, Beijing (China is the largest consumer of aluminum) also opposed the coup in Guinea and the immediate release of Condé. “We call on all parties to remain calm and restrained, to act in the interests of the Guinean people in order to resolve the existing problems and ensure internal peace and stability,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars in mining in Guinea and in a number of African countries to “meet their high needs in the manufacture of machinery and electronics,” according to the South China Morning Post.