A military-led group today backtracked on its promise of early elections for Guinea following the coup there.
It announced it would hold them within two years after initially promising they would take place within two months.
The group calling itself the National Council for Democracy and Development seized the airwaves and said it was in charge of the mineral-rich West African country yesterday, hours after the death of Guinea’s long-time dictator.
But Guinea’s prime minister said today his government remained in charge.
Captain Moussa Camara, spokesman for the military group that declared the coup, said they planned to hold “credible and transparent presidential elections by December 2010.”
In his first address to the nation yesterday, he had said that elections would be organised within 60 days.
Camara also accused Guinea’s embattled government of bringing in foreign mercenaries to help them regain control of the country, but did not say which country was providing them.
He made his announcement on state-run radio, which has been in the hands of the renegade soldiers since they sent tanks into the capital yesterday.
“I would like to inform the people of Guinea that there are generals who for unknown reasons are trying to recruit mercenaries — some of whom are already inside our borders — for the purpose of destabilising our attempts to establish peace and democracy,” Camara said.
Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare said his government remains in control and that the mercenary claim is bogus.
“It’s idiotic — no, it’s not true at all,” said Mr Souare who has not been able to communicate directly with the population since the dissident troops seized the state’s TV and radio stations.
“We are still in control and we are trying to normalise the situation. We have no intention of bringing in mercenaries. In fact, we haven’t even asked our own armed forces to intervene,” he said.
Two days after the death of dictator Lansana Conte, it is unclear who is in control of the country.
Leaders of the military group have announced a 32-member interim government made up of 26 military members and six civilians but the prime minister maintains he is in control.
While Guinea has managed to avoid the catastrophic wars that ravaged its West African neighbours, regional experts have warned for years that Conte’s death could send it into turmoil. Conte, who was believed to be in his 70s, was only Guinea’s second president since it gained independence from France a half-century ago
Guinea is the world’s largest producer of bauxite, used to produce aluminium, and also has gold, diamonds and iron ore deposits.