With a results-based timeline for holding the authorities accountable, the transition agreement could deliver reform and stability.
Military officers overthrew the regime of Alpha Condé on 5 September 2021, less than a year after the former Guinean president started a controversial third term.
In response, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union (AU) suspended the country from their decision-making organs and demanded a ‘reasonable’ timetable for the transition. Over a year later, Guinean authorities and ECOWAS agreed on a 24-month transition period starting in December 2022.
Just two weeks after the coup, on 16 September 2021, ECOWAS had proposed a six-month transition timetable – a deadline that most Guineans deemed unrealistic. The major problem was that the proposal focused on only one element of the transition process – the holding of elections.
By contrast, the new approach that led to the October 2022 agreement provided an action plan and implementation timetable allowing certain actions to be carried out simultaneously. This approach facilitated the adoption of a results-based transition timeline and agenda that can easily be monitored. Read more
