Guinea dissolves 40 political parties, opposition leader cries foul

Guinea’s main opposition leader said “direct resistance” to the country’s coup leader-turned-president was now the only way to bring about change ​after the government consolidated its position by dissolving 40 political ‌parties.

President Mamady Doumbouya, a former special forces commander, seized power in 2021 and won a seven-year term as president in December in a result contested by his opponents. Legislative elections ​are expected in May in the West African nation, which is ​rich in bauxite and iron ore.

Guinea’s Ministry of Territorial Administration ⁠and Decentralization said in a decree late on Friday that 40 parties’ ​headquarters and local offices would be closed and use of their logos, ​acronyms “and other distinctive signs” would be prohibited.

The decree said the parties had failed to meet legal obligations such as filing financial statements; several of the dissolved political parties have ​protested, maintaining they had fulfilled all legal requirements.

In a video statement published ​on social media on Sunday, Guinea’s main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo said “war has been ‌openly ⁠declared” on Doumbouya’s challengers.

He called on Guineans to engage in “direct resistance”, without specifying what exactly that should look like. And he said political change would not happen through dialogue or democratic processes.

A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for ​comment.

Diallo is ⁠in exile outside the country, as is former President Alpha Conde, who Doumbouya toppled and whose party was also dissolved on Friday.

Guinea has a history ⁠of political ​violence, including during the 2020 election which ​Diallo said he had won. The December 2025 election was tightly controlled and unfolded without major ​security incidents.