The leaders of a military coup in Guinea promised on Monday to set up a transitional government of national unity after ousting President Alpha Conde and dissolving his cabinet, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Sunday's coup, in which Conde and other top politicians were detained or barred from travelling, is the third since April in West and Central Africa, raising concerns about a slide back to military rule in a region that had made strides towards multi-party democracy since the 1990s.
The takeover was widely condemned by international powers, placing pressure on the new military leaders to offer a plan beyond the toppling of the old order, and to reassure investors that Guinea's significant ore exports would not be cut.
"A consultation will be carried out to define the major framework of the transition, then a government of national unity will be put in place to lead the transition," coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire officer, told a meeting of Conde's ministers and senior government officials.
"At the end of this transitional phase, we'll set the tone for a new era for governance and economic development," he said, flanked by armed soldiers in red berets.
Doumbouya did not say what the transition would entail or give a date for a return to democratic elections.