Guinea govt resigns ahead of planned cabinet reshuffle

The government of Guinea resigned on Thursday ahead of a planned cabinet reshuffle, a day after opposition parties suspended protests over disputed polls.

Prime Minister Mamady Youla presented his resignation and that of the whole government, said minister of state and presidential spokesman Kiridi Bangoura.

He told the media that the outgoing government will remain in charge of day-to-day tasks until a new government is drawn up.

Alpha Conde, a historic opponent who came to power in 2010, had promised to listen to the “silent majority” and then proceed with a “major cabinet reshuffle” to “put ministers who are listening to the population and who take care of their programs “.

On Wednesday, opposition parties suspended street protests against the official outcome of local elections in February, saying the international community had offered to mediate.

Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party defeated a coalition led by the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), according to the results. On Monday, the opposition, resuming strike action by its supporters, brought trade and traffic to a standstill in parts of the capital Conakry.

The conflict in education ended a few days later, after an agreement on wages, but the opposition still contests the victory in the February 4 local elections of the ruling party, the RPG, against the UFDG. Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, the main opponent of President Alpha Condé.

At the beginning of April, the opposition suspended its street demonstrations in order to initiate a dialogue with the authorities. Denouncing the lack of political will of the presidential movement, it organized a new day “dead city” in Conakry on Monday.

After Tuesday’s intervention by ambassadors, notably from the United States and the European Union, who proposed a mediation by Diallo, the opposition on Wednesday announced a new “suspension” of its demonstrations, while confirming its boycott of “inter-Guinean dialogue” on electoral disputes.

The two months of post-election demonstrations, marred by violence, had killed at least 12 people.

According to opposition , the press and human rights NGOs, 94 opponents have been killed in Guinea, mostly by gunshot, during political demonstrations since April 2011.

AFP