Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya has fired 173 soldiers for alleged “desertion,” in one of the most extensive military reshuffles since he came to power in the 2021 coup.
The layoffs were announced in a presidential decree broadcast on state television on Monday, August 24.
The decree, read by General Amara Camara, Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, dismissed personnel from various branches of the armed forces.
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The order cited “desertion” as the reason for the dismissals, but did not specify when the affected staff allegedly abandoned their positions or the circumstances surrounding the cases.
Among those fired was Michel Lamah, a member of the Groupement des Forces Spéciales (GFS), the elite Special Forces unit previously commanded by Doumbouya.
Lamah became one of the prominent figures associated with the September 5, 2021 coup after images emerged showing him in a military vehicle carrying then-president Alpha Condé following his arrest.
During the seizure of power, troops stormed the presidential palace and detained Condé, while Doumbouya, then a colonel and commander of the Special Forces, announced the seizure of power.
The coup ended Condé’s 11-year rule, a year after he won a controversial third term following constitutional changes that sparked protests and political unrest.
After taking power, Doumbouya promised that neither he nor members of the military-led transition would participate in elections organized to restore civilian rule.
He later participated in the December 2025 presidential election and received around 87 percent of the votes.
However, the election excluded senior opposition figures, while Doumbouya faced criticism for his decision to run after previously vowing not to run for office.
The latest military dismissals come as Doumbouya consolidates his hold on power and Guinea enters a crucial phase in the development of its mining sector.
Guinea has significant deposits of gold, bauxite and iron ore and holds around a third of the world’s known bauxite reserves.
The World Bank described the start of production at the China-backed Simandou iron ore project as a major opportunity for Guinea to convert its mineral wealth into broader economic development.
The World Bank estimates that Guinea’s economy grew 7.4 percent in 2025 and projects growth of 8.8 percent in 2026 as mining production increases.
The dismissal of the 173 soldiers alone is unlikely to alter the country’s economic prospects, but it could renew attention on political stability and security around Guinea’s strategic mining projects..
(BBC)
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