Namibia has condemned the coup d’état in Guinea which culminated in the arrest of President Alpha Condé.

Special forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya staged a coup on Sunday and arrested the president. The forces also dissolved the country’s constitution and its executive and closed Guinea’s land and air borders.

Doumbouya said “poverty and endemic corruption” had driven his forces to remove Condé from office.

The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in a media statement on Tuesday said Namibia is following the developments in the Republic of Guinea with great concern and called on the military to respect the rule of law.

The ministry also said Namibia calls on the citizens of Guinea to not resort to violence to have their concerns addressed.

“Namibia aligns herself with the statement issued by Democratic Republic of Congo president and chairperson of the African Union, Felix Tshisekedi and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, and reiterates their call for the Peace and Security Council to address this issue as a matter of urgency,” the statement said.

Namibia also joined the international community in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Condé and a return to constitutional order.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency