President Mamadi Doumbouya of Guinea announced the dismissal of more than 170 military personnel through a decree read on state television. Among those dismissed was Colonel Michel Lamah, a member of the Special Forces Group who played a role in the 2021 coup that brought Doumbouya to power. The exact circumstances of the alleged desertions were not disclosed when the decree was announced by presidential spokesman General Amara Camara on Monday.
The dismissed soldiers came from various branches of the military. Colonel Lamah gained public prominence during the September 2021 coup when he was photographed transporting the deposed President Alpha Condé after troops stormed the presidential palace. At the time, Condé was arrested following his re-election the previous year for a controversial third term amid widespread violent protests.
Analysts view the dismissals as part of broader efforts by the 41-year-old president to strengthen his grip on power and forestall potential internal challenges to his authority. When Doumbouya initially seized control through the coup, he pledged not to seek elected office and committed to transitioning to civilian governance. However, he later reversed this position and competed in elections held in December, which he won decisively with 87 percent of the vote.
Since taking power, Guinea has witnessed significant restrictions on civil liberties. Media operations have been closed, public gatherings have been prohibited, certain political organizations have been banned, and numerous activists and opposition politicians have faced arrest or forced exile. The two largest opposition parties, RPG Arc en Ciel and UFDG, were barred from participating in last year’s election.
Beyond security matters, Doumbouya has pursued economic transformation initiatives over the preceding five years, seeking to develop Guinea’s mineral-rich economy into a center for industrial processing rather than relying primarily on raw material exports.
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