A Coup has recently occurred in the African country of Guinea, amid a wave of recent power grabs in the region. On Monday, an elite Special Forces unit of the Guinea army seized control of the Presidential palace, the capital, and said they had arrested the sitting president, Alpha Conde. They made the claim that the country had “Experienced great economic development, yet not a penny of this money was seen by the people.”

Lieutenant Colonel Mamaday Doumboya, leader of the coup, waving to crowds outside the presidential palace on September 6th (AFP)

When the coup was announced on Monday, global bauxite prices soared to their highest levels in 18 months. This clearly shows that the global economy is uncertain of what will happen with the giant reserves of the important resource in the African country. The new military junta says that the country will be “reopened in a week”. The coup has been condemned globally by a majority of countries, and many call for it to be “ended,” and for president Conde to be released. The most notable regional outcry at the coup was made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which officially suspended the country from the group until “further notice” and they will “re-examine its (Guineas) position”.

ECOWAS representatives debating on the Guinea issue [Reuters]

With the large amount of power grabs and coups in the neighbors of Guinea recently, many suspect that this is just another Power grab by the military to get more power and control over the nation. However, crowds of people reportedly celebrated in the streets after the coup was over, so this may be called into question.

Written by Shane Miller