By John Ikani
Four months after his ouster, Guinea’s former President Alpha Conde has had his first taste of freedom after leaving the country to seek medical attention at the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
No details were given on his diagnosis, though witnesses at the airport in Conakry, the capital, confirmed that the 83-year-old former president’s plane was en route to Abu Dhabi.
On Monday, an image released by the junta showed Conde, dressed in a black suit and flanked by two bodyguards, shortly before boarding his flight at the newly renamed Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport in Conakry. One of his bodyguards held a briefcase.
A second image showed the former president seated in the special flight, looking desolate.
Authorities said the 83-year-old former president was given the option of identifying his choice of destination for treatment.
Conde’s ouster in September came less than a year after he ran and won a third term in office despite widespread protests. The ex-president had backed a constitutional referendum bending the term limit rules in order to do so.
The regional bloc known as ECOWAS and other members of the international community have called for Conde’s immediate release ever since he was detained in the September coup led by Col. Mamady Doumbouya that overthrew him after more than a decade in power.
But Guinea’s new military rulers vowed that Conde wouldn’t be allowed to leave the country and seek exile. West African regional leaders put travel bans into place after the junta failed to release him. The financial assets of junta leaders also were frozen.
Meanwhile, Conde’s departure has been met with mixed reactions in Guinea.
While some welcomed it, others are concerned that it could be the start of a life in exile. Those who are unhappy about him leaving want to see him face trial for his alleged crimes.
Conde was elected in 2010 in Guinea’s first democratic elections. He was re-elected in 2018 in a disputed poll.
He controversially changed the Constitution to allow him run for a third term, a decision that sparked weeks of protests resulting in deaths and destruction of property.
