Guinea Dissolves 40 Political Parties in Crackdown

Guinea’s military government has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three main opposition groups, in what critics describe as the latest crackdown on civil liberties.

The decree was issued late Friday by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, acting under the authority of President Mamady Doumbouya.

The order cited “failure to fulfil obligations” as the reason for the dissolution. It strips the parties of their legal status, bans them from political activity, and seizes their assets. Among those affected are the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) led by exiled opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) of former president Alpha Conde, and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR).

“This dissolution entails the immediate loss of legal personality and status of the parties concerned,” the decree stated, adding that acronyms, logos, and emblems associated with the groups can no longer be used. A curator has been appointed to oversee the transfer of party assets, though the decree did not specify to whom.

Civil society groups and opposition figures condemned the move. UFDG communications coordinator Souleymane de Souza Konate said “all red lines” had been crossed, describing the decision as an attempt to establish a single party state. Ibrahima Diallo of the pro democracy National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) said the decree “formalized a dictatorship now established as the mode of governance.”

Guinea has faced growing political repression since Doumbouya seized power in a 2021 coup. He was sworn in as president in January after elections held under a new constitution that extended presidential terms from five to seven years and allowed junta members to run. Opposition leaders were barred from contesting.

Reports of arrests, enforced disappearances, and kidnappings have multiplied. Family members of opposition figures have also been targeted. Relatives of Tibou Kamara, a former minister under Conde, were kidnapped earlier this week. In November, four family members of exiled musician and opposition figure Elie Kamano were abducted, while the father of exiled journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was kidnapped in September. Two FNDC activists, Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, have been missing since July 2024.

Doumbouya, 41, returned to Guinea on Friday after a three week absence that raised questions about his health. He had left the country on February 13 to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa but had not been seen publicly since.

The dissolution of opposition parties deepens uncertainty in Guinea, where critics warn that democratic freedoms are disappearing and the country is sliding into authoritarian rule.