Guinea’s military-led government has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three most prominent opposition movements, in a sweeping move that critics say further erodes democratic space in the West African nation.
The decision was announced late Friday through a decree issued by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization under the leadership of President Mamady Doumbouya, the former special forces commander who seized power in a military coup in September 2021.
Authorities said the parties were disbanded for failing to meet legal and administrative requirements set out in Guinea’s political party regulations. However, opposition leaders and civil society groups argue the measure is part of a broader effort by the military-backed government to eliminate political competition.
Among the dissolved organizations are the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) led by exiled opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) associated with former president Alpha Condé, and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR).
According to the decree, the affected parties immediately lose their legal status and are barred from conducting political activities or using their names, logos, or other identifying symbols. Government authorities also ordered that party assets be placed under state supervision while officials determine their eventual disposition.
Opposition figures reacted sharply to the announcement, warning that the move could effectively dismantle organized political opposition in Guinea.
Souleymane de Souza Konaté, communications coordinator for the UFDG, described the decision as a decisive step toward one-party rule.
“This marks the crossing of every democratic red line,” he said, accusing the government of orchestrating what he called a political charade designed to consolidate power.
Pro-democracy activists echoed those concerns. Ibrahima Diallo, a prominent member of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), argued the dissolution reflects a deeper authoritarian drift since the military takeover.
“The regime has now formalized a system of governance that leaves little room for dissent,” Diallo said, warning that the country is entering a period of heightened political uncertainty.
Rights groups say the political climate in Guinea has deteriorated steadily since the coup, pointing to arrests of activists, restrictions on protests, and the exile of opposition leaders. Several activists linked to the FNDC have also reportedly disappeared, including Oumar Sylla, widely known as Foniké Menguè, and Mamadou Billo Bah, who have been missing since mid-2024.
Doumbouya, 41, first rose to power after overthrowing President Alpha Condé during the Guinean coup d’état of 2021, a dramatic event that ended Condé’s controversial third term in office. The military junta initially promised a swift return to civilian rule, but the transition has stretched on amid mounting political tensions.
A new constitution approved in a national referendum last year reshaped the country’s political framework. The document extended presidential terms from five to seven years and removed restrictions that had barred members of the transitional military government from running in elections.
Critics say the changes cleared the way for Doumbouya to contest the presidency, which he later won in a December election widely criticized by opposition groups after several prominent challengers were disqualified or prevented from participating.
He was formally sworn in as president on January 17, cementing his transition from junta leader to elected head of state.
Human rights organizations have also raised alarms over a series of reported abductions targeting relatives of political opponents and critics of the government.
In recent months, family members of former government spokesman Tibou Kamara and exiled activist Elie Kamano were reportedly kidnapped, while the father of exiled journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was abducted last year. Authorities have not publicly clarified the circumstances surrounding the cases.
Meanwhile, speculation about Doumbouya’s health circulated earlier this month after he disappeared from public view for several weeks following an appearance at the **African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He returned to Guinea on Friday, shortly before the decree dissolving the political parties was announced.
Analysts say the latest developments signal a tightening of political control as the government seeks to stabilize its hold on power while facing growing domestic and international scrutiny.
