Citizens of Guinea woke up to a world of uncertainty Sunday, when the country’s military special forces unit announced that President Alpha Condé had been taken into custody, the country’s constitution had been dissolved, and that they were all subject to a nationwide curfew “until further notice.”
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The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the coup and the African Union has released a communiqué condemning it and calling for a return to civilian rule.
Though regional health experts have warned that the coup could lead to disruptions in health responses during a critical time, health officials working in the country said they expect that the coup will not impact service delivery.
Oyewale Tomori, chairman at Nigeria's Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said "coups are always disrupters” and Guinea is now faced with either “dying of COVID-19 or [an] AK-47."
But Dr. Georges Ki-Zerbo, the World Health Organization’s head of office and representative in Guinea, told Devex that the agency expects that there will be continuity of services and humanitarian aid.
How Guinea is dealing with emerging and reemerging disease outbreaks
WHO's representative in Guinea says despite outbreaks, West African countries have significantly improved their disease surveillance strategies and ability to prevent escalations in case numbers.
Why it matters: Guinea has been at the center of two regional health responses. The country recently confirmed West Africa’s first case of Marburg virus disease, and is on high alert for the Ebola virus disease after a false-positive test from a traveler from Guinea was registered in Côte d'Ivoire. Guinea declared an end to a four-month-long Ebola outbreak in June.
The country is also dealing with a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with only about 3% of the population fully vaccinated.
What’s next: After meeting with the country’s cabinet ministers, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, the coup leader, announced that a new "union" government would be formed in weeks.
Though the country did not publish any new COVID-19 test results on Sunday, Ki-Zerbo said vaccination is likely to continue.
"Reopening of auspice is announced and permanent secretaries are in charge in government departments. Vaccination allocation operations are likely to continue,” he said.
About the author
Paul Adepojupauladepoju
Paul Adepoju is a Nigeria-based Devex Contributing Reporter, academic, and author. He covers health and tech in Africa for leading local and international media outlets including CNN, Quartz, and The Guardian. He's also the founder of healthnews.africa. He is completing a doctorate in cell biology and genetics and holds several reporting awards in health and tech.
