Col Mamady Doumbouya is 41 years old, the man who toppled President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Sunday. Currently, the former president is in custody awaiting trial. Alpha Conde amended the constitution to run for a 3rd which he contested successfully and continued governing the country with iron fist.
Col Doumbouya claimed that the military had no choice but to seize power due to rampant corruption, disregard of human rights and mismanagement of public resources. The coup was successfully executed without loss of civilian lives.
He quoted the late Jerry Rawlings of Ghana who took over power in 1979 saying that “if the people are crushed by their elites, it is up to the army to give the people their freedom”. The military seized power in the best interest of the citizens according to Col Doumbouya.
He has served the French legion for some years before President Alpha tapped him to head a newly established elite called Special Forces Group (SFG) in 2018. He was based in western Guinea under bureau of territorial surveillance (DST) and the general intelligence services.
Through his 15 years career, Col Doumbouya has served in missions in Ivory coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Israel, UK and Cyprus. He embraced his massive military experience to topple Alpha Conde’s government, which has earned him an heroic icon in Guinea, as witnessed people celebrating after the seize of power.