African Union lifts sanctions on Guinea

The African Union (AU) announced the lifting of sanctions on Guinea, which were initially imposed in 2021, as reported by Africa News via AFP on January 23rd.

Sanctions were imposed on Guinea following a 2021 military coup that established a military junta government; the coup also led to Guinea’s suspension from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The decision comes after Guinea held its first post-coup election on December 28th, 2025, which the AU hailed as “the positive steps taken in the implementation of the Political Transition Roadmap in the Republic of Guinea, which culminated in the successful organisation of the presidential election.”

On January 17th, General Mamadi Doumbouya was sworn in as president at a ceremony near Guinea’s capital, Conakry. Officials from the AU and ECOWAS attended the event at which Doumbouya took the oath of office.

Doumbouya reportedly received 86.7% of the vote; the 40-year-old, a former middle-ranking soldier, took power in the 2021 coup, ousting the democratically elected President Alpha Condé.

His electoral victory occurred despite initially promising not to run for office and to move Guinea’s government from military to civilian rule by late 2024.

Guinea’s junta was obligated by ECOWAS to hold elections within two years of taking power, and these negotiations were accepted in 2022. The junta did not meet the 2024 deadline, leading to the introduction of a transitional framework barring junta members from contesting elections.

In September, the junta was accused of using a referendum to further entrench military rule over Guinea, with the poll asking citizens to vote on a draft constitution that would allow military leaders to run for office.

Doumbouya oversaw a constitutional amendment that lifted the ban on military leaders running for office in November; the legislation also extended presidential terms from 5 to 7 years.

Although Doumbouya broke his promise not to run for office, he has gained popularity for his embrace of resource nationalism, as Guinea holds a vast iron ore reserve and the world’s largest bauxite reserves.

However, critics have urged that Guinea be returned to civilian rule and have denounced the elections as a “charade”, while opposition figures allege the poll was rife with irregularities.

Africa News via AFP