By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The leader of military government in Guinea, Mamadi Doumbouya has announced his elevation to the rank of army general as the West African nation marks its Armed Forces day.
In a decree on Friday, Doumbouya believed to be eyeing the presidency of the country when the military cedes power also grabbed the nation’s highest honour, the Grand Cross of the National Order of the Colatier.
Doumbouya, 43, forcefully took over power in September 2021 when he ousted a democratically elected President, Alpha Conde.
Conde had appointed the then-colonel Doumbouya as the head of an elite force in charge of protecting the head of state from such coups.
Authorities said the conferment of highest national honour on the military leader is for “his constant efforts to promote social cohesion and cooperation between peoples”.
Doumbouya is one of the officers who have seized power in the West Africa region, along with his fellow military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2020.
Like most military leaders, Doumbouya has launched a crackdown on dissent voices, with many opposition leaders detained or forced into exile.
Guinea is ranked among the poorest nations in spite of its rich natural resources.
Heritage Times HT reports that the military took over power after a long period of political tension, which was first spurred by Conde’s controversial attempt for a third presidential term in 2020.
The former President had emerged victorious in an election after pushing through a new constitution in March 2020 that allowed him to ignore the country’s two-term limit for presidency and run for a third term. One year later, he was forcefully removed.
Arising from international pressure, Doumbouya had promised to hand the reins of government back to elected civilians by the end of 2024.
The military leaders in Guinea and the regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had agreed on a 24-month transition timeline in October 2022.
