Guinea’s military junta has suspended three leading opposition parties, including former President Alpha Condé’s Rally of the Guinean People, just weeks before a controversial constitutional referendum.
The three-month suspension also affects the Union of Democratic Forces, led by ex–Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, and the Party of Renewal and Progress.
The move comes as opposition groups and civil society prepare mass protests on September 5 against what they call a power grab by junta leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup.
The referendum, set for September 21, seeks to rewrite the constitution, with critics warning it could allow Doumbouya to contest future elections despite an earlier ban on junta leaders running.
Guinea has banned protests since 2022, with opposition leaders jailed or exiled and dozens of parties dissolved for failing to meet new rules.
Rights groups say the crackdown signals growing repression, raising concerns over the country’s democratic transition.
