Guinea Opposition Parties Disbanded as Political Tensions Deepen

Protesters in Guinea are demanding the restoration of democracy

Guinea’s military-led government has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three main opposition groups, in a move widely condemned by critics as a major escalation in the crackdown on political freedoms under President Mamady Doumbouya.

The decision was announced late Friday in a decree issued by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, which cited the parties’ alleged “failure to fulfil their obligations” under national political party regulations. Among the organisations dissolved are the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), led by exiled opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo; the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), the party of former president Alpha Condé; and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR).

According to the decree, the dissolution results in the immediate loss of legal recognition for the affected parties.

“This dissolution entails the immediate loss of the legal personality and status of the parties concerned,” the order said, adding that all political activities linked to the groups are prohibited.

The ban also extends to the use of the parties’ acronyms, logos, and emblems.

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Guinea's junta dissolves 40 political parties with late-night decree | Africanews

Guinea has dissolved 40 political parties, including its three main opposition groups, via a late-night decree, in the latest crackdown on civil liberties under longtime strongman Mamady Doumbouya.

Authorities further ordered that the parties’ assets be placed under sequestration, with a court-appointed curator responsible for overseeing their transfer. The decree did not specify which institution or body would ultimately receive the assets. The announcement has sparked strong condemnation from opposition figures and civil society groups. Souleymane de Souza Konaté, communications coordinator for the UFDG, described the move as crossing “all red lines”.

He said the decision represented “the final act of a true political farce whose objective is the establishment of a single-party state.” Pro-democracy activists also warned that the move signals deepening authoritarian rule in the West African nation. Ibrahima Diallo, a leading member of the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), said the dissolution had “formalised a dictatorship now established as the mode of governance.”

“The country is sinking into profound uncertainty,” he said.

Guinea has experienced increasing political tensions since Doumbouya seized power in a 2021 military coup that ousted Condé, the country’s first democratically elected president. A new constitution approved in a referendum last September allows members of the ruling junta, including Doumbouya, to contest elections and extends presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.

Doumbouya, 41, was sworn in as president on January 17 after elections held in December in which major opposition leaders were barred from participating. Rights groups have also raised alarm over a growing number of enforced disappearances and abductions of activists and relatives of opposition figures. Two prominent FNDC activists, Oumar Sylla, widely known as Foniké Menguè, and Mamadou Billo Bah, have been missing since July 2024.

Doumbouya returned to Guinea on Friday after a three-week absence that had sparked speculation about his health. He had travelled to Addis Ababa to attend a summit organised by the African Union but had not been seen publicly since leaving on February 13.

Guinea political parties dissolved; Mamady Doumbouya government; Guinea opposition crackdown