UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the coup d’etat in Guinea and demanded the immediate release of President Alpha Condé.

According to reports, the fate of Guinea’s president is unclear after an unverified video showed him surrounded by soldiers who said they had seized power.

They appeared on national TV, claiming to have dissolved the government.

However, the defence ministry said the presidential guard had thwarted the attempted takeover.

This followed hours of heavy gunfire near the presidential palace in the capital, Conakry.

“I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde,’’ Mr Guterres tweeted.

Similarly, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have condemned the apparent coup and demanded the immediate release of Mr Condé.

In a statement on Sunday, ECOWAS described the action as a clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, demanding the immediate return to constitutional order.

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, who is also the chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, stated that ECOWAS demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Condé, as well as others, arrested.

“ECOWAS reaffirms its disapproval of any unconstitutional political change,” Mr Akufo-Addo stated. “It asks the defence and security forces to remain in a posture republican and expresses its solidarity with the Guinean people and government.”

(NAN)