Army man to be sworn in as a civilian president

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2fa5/live/73164430-f2ef-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Guinea Presidency Mamadi Doumbouya seen outside wearing a tracksuit, baseball cap and dark glasses. A soldier in a red beret is seen on the right in the foreground out of focus." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Guinea Presidency Official photos of Mamadi Doumbouya have portrayed him in a extra relaxed mode

From the second he seized energy in September 2021 Guinea's Mamadi Doumbouya struck an imposing determine.

Simply 36 years outdated on the time, the broad-shouldered colonel, standing at nicely over six toes (1.8m), sporting army fatigues, mirrored sun shades and a pink beret actually made an impression when saying the coup.

A comparatively unknown member of an elite military unit, he declared that the federal government of ousted President Alpha Condé had disregarded democratic rules and that residents' rights had been being trampled on.

After greater than 4 years of appearing as interim president, and going again on a promise to not run for management of the nation, Doumbouya, now 41, is ready to be sworn in because the elected head of state on Saturday.

The discreet, disciplined and personal man gained 87% of the vote in December's election in opposition to a severely depleted area.

Ex-Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, now in exile, described the method as a charade which generated "fabricated" outcomes.

Whereas seemingly having fun with some common help, critics have questioned Doumbouya's democratic credentials as some political events have been banned, activists have mysteriously disappeared and media retailers been shut down.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5e25/live/6bc50700-f2f1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters A screengrab from a video showing Doumbouya atop a military vehicle in army uniform and holding a gun. He is waving to crowds on the street." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Reuters Video footage shot within the aftermath of the 2021 coup confirmed Doumbouya being greeted by enthusiastic crowds

Scrolling again by the social media accounts from the president's workplace there's a sense of a rigorously curated picture.

The military man, now a basic, has, for the principle, ditched the camouflage in favour of the baseball cap and tracksuit, or a boubou - conventional Guinean apparel of loose-fitting robes with elaborate embroidery. The shades although are nonetheless at instances in proof.

Photos present him on the opening of colleges, or transport and mining infrastructure or biking by the streets of the capital, Conakry. The message is obvious: it is a man of motion who's engaged on behalf of the individuals.

"This was presenting a picture of somebody who might be near civilians, somebody who's a civilian chief and might be consultant of the individuals," Beverly Ochieng, senior analyst with Dakar-based safety intelligence agency Management Dangers, instructed the BBC.

"In some methods that is distancing himself from what introduced him to energy – a coup - and the truth that his total profession has been within the army."

Within the 15 years earlier than he took energy, Doumbouya gained intensive worldwide expertise, together with being educated to grasp's degree in France and serving within the French International Legion. He was additionally in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic and labored on shut safety in Israel, Cyprus and the UK.

However the donning of civilian garments might not be solely honest, based on some analysts.

"I am unsure I am satisfied that he has transitioned from a army man. I feel that the army costume will stay even when he's conducting the return to civilian order," argued Aïssatou Kanté, a researcher within the West Africa workplace of the Institute of Safety Research.

She referred to a ban on political demonstrations, the exclusion of Doumbouya's fundamental challengers in December's election and the suspension of key opposition events.

Human rights campaigners have demanded to know the whereabouts of two activists - Oumar Sylla (referred to as Foniké Menguè) and Mamadou Billo Bah – who haven't been seen since July 2024. They think the boys had been taken by the army.

Press freedom organisation Reporters With out Borders has additionally expressed concern that journalist Habib Marouane Camara has been lacking for greater than a 12 months. It has described how journalists at the moment are censoring themselves and are fearful about what may occur to them.

Nonetheless, the 2021 coup was broadly welcomed within the nation and since then Doumbouya seems to have remained a preferred determine.

Polling organisation Afrobarometer discovered that between 2022 and 2024 the proportion of people that trusted the president both "partially" or "quite a bit" grew from 46% to 53%.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/c817/live/1806ed80-f2f2-11f0-9a08-61d9f795eeed.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Guinea Presidency A side view of Paul Kagame in a patterned African shirt talking to Mamady Doumbouya in a white boubou, white hat and dark glasses." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Guinea Presidency Doumbouya (R) welcomed Rwandan President Paul Kagame to the nation in November for the beginning of operations on the Simandou iron-ore mine

The president-elect could not have a clearly outlined ideology guiding him however for Kanté his emphasis on Guineans being accountable for their very own future has develop into essential.

"It is what retains developing in official speeches - this affirmation of political and financial sovereignty," she instructed the BBC.

In his deal with to the nation a number of days into the brand new 12 months, he struck a conciliatory tone, calling on all Guineans to construct a nation of peace and "totally assumed" sovereignty.

In a rustic that continues to grapple with excessive ranges of poverty regardless of plentiful pure sources – together with the world's largest reserves of bauxite, which is used to make aluminium - this concept strikes a chord.

The federal government's messaging on the event of the huge iron-ore sources in Simandou underscores the doable advantages for the individuals.

The three billion tonnes of ore out there in a distant southern a part of the nation, which started to be exported final month, might rework the worldwide iron market, in addition to Guinea's fortunes.

The authorities say earnings from the undertaking, partly owned by Chinese language miners in addition to the British-Australian company Rio Tinto, will likely be invested in new transport infrastructure in addition to well being and training.

The success or in any other case of Simandou could outline Doumbouya's presidency.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a5ed/live/dd8406b0-f2f2-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP via Getty Images Doumbouya in formal military uniform and red beret holds up a white gloved hand to be sworn in in 2021." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP by way of Getty Pictures In 2021, Doumbouya wore formal army gown when he was sworn in as interim chief

He seems decided to maintain a few of the processing and added-value components of the trade in Guinea to make sure better advantages.

Throughout the broader mining sector, his authorities has cancelled dozens of contracts over the previous 12 months the place it was felt that the businesses weren't investing in Guinea – a transfer that has led one UAE-based agency to take the nation to a world courtroom.

"This transfer in direction of useful resource nationalism makes him appear to be an area hero. He appears to be like like he is actually preventing for the rights of his residents, even when meaning enterprise disruptions," mentioned analyst Ochieng.

The emphasis on sovereignty has additionally led to a realistic method to worldwide relations, observers say. In contrast to coup leaders elsewhere in West Africa, Doumbouya has not outrightly rejected the previous colonial energy France in favour of Russia.

Neither, regardless of his background in France and having a French spouse, has he been accused of being a puppet of Paris.

Doumbouya very a lot desires to be seen as somebody operating issues within the pursuits of the nation.

Come Saturday, the president will preach a message of nationwide unity and can hope that he can usher in a brand new period of prosperity for Guinea.

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