Guinea opposition leader urges 'direct resistance' after 40 parties dissolved

Guinea's main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo has said that "direct resistance" to the country's coup leader–turned–president is now the only remaining path to change, after the authorities dissolved 40 political parties.

The authorities accused the parties of not complying with the law - a charge they have rejected.

The move comes two months after former junta head Mamady Doumbouya was sworn-in as president, following an election that saw some key challengers barred from running.

Doumbouya, who came to power in 2021 after overthrowing Condé, has been accused of cracking down on democratic freedoms.

Among the parties dissolved were the the Rally of the People of Guinea of former President Alpha Condé and Diallo's Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea. Diallo is currently in exile.

Late last Friday, Guinea's ministry of territorial administration and decentralisation announced in a decree that the headquarters and local offices of 40 political parties would be closed, and their logos, acronyms and other symbols banned from use.

The parties' assets have been confiscated and all offices sealed.

The ministry said the parties had failed to comply with legal requirements, including submitting mandatory financial statements. Several of the dissolved groups have rejected the allegations, insisting they met all obligations under the law, the Reuters news agency reported.

In a video statement released on social media on Sunday, Diallo said the decree showed that "war has been openly declared" on those challenging President Doumbouya.

He said political change would not happen through dialogue or democratic processes.

"The head of the junta and his malevolent clique want to rewrite the country's history by erasing from the political landscape all forces likely to overshadow his nascent one-party state," he added.

Jean-Marc Telliano, a former minister and president of the Rally for the Integrated Development of Guinea, also criticised the decision. Reuters quoted him as saying that his party would fight to assert its rights and "will use all legal means to have our rights restored''.

The dissolution of the parties comes two months ahead of legislative elections, another major step on the transition from military to civilian rule.

Guinea's move follows a similar decision in Burkina Faso, where authorities banned all political parties on 29 January as the junta there sought to consolidate power in the coup-hit nation.