A Guinean colonel was lectured by British army and political personnel previous to launching a coup in opposition to the nation’s democratically-elected chief
A Guinean colonel attended a British army management course simply weeks earlier than main a coup to put in himself as president final yr.
Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has been condemned by the African Union, the Financial Group of West African States (ECOWAS), the EU and the UK for ousting the nation’s first democratically-elected President, Alpha Condé, in September. His army junta stays in energy.
However simply seven weeks prior, the commander of the west African nation’s particular forces attended a ‘senior strategic management programme’ run by the UK’s Defence Academy, a part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
His attendance was revealed by a Freedom of Info (FOI) request by the charity Motion on Armed Violence (AOAV). A subsequent request for a full checklist of the 120 attendees from 40 nations has since been denied by the MoD on the grounds of non-public information safety.
Audio system on the programme included Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, Home of Commons Defence Choose Committee chair Tobias Ellwood, and vice chair John Spellar.
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Senior army personnel additionally gave displays, with Commander of Strategic Command Common Sir Patrick Sanders, Assistant Chief of Defence Air Vice-Marshall Alastair Smith in addition to main generals Andrew Roe and Darrell Amison all addressing the convention.
Subjects ranged from ‘delivering the strategic intent’, delivered by Heappey, to ‘coverage and democratic oversight’ by Ellwood, together with ‘technique – the practitioner’s perspective’ from Sanders.
The 2-day occasion (held on 13 and 14 July 2021) is often run at Shrivenham for senior officers and officers from 30 nations. Final yr, it was held just about and ended with a Q&A with Common David Petraeus, former commander of multi-national forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and ex-director of the CIA. In Afghanistan, Petraeus is thought to have overseen a rise in lethal particular forces night time raids that resulted in tons of of civilian deaths, in response to the UN.
Colonel Doumbouya was appointed because the commander of Guinea’s newly-established ‘Special Forces Group’ by President Condé in 2018. He was one in all 25 Guinean officers that the EU had threatened to sanction for alleged human rights abuses within the nation.
Embarrassingly for the US, Doumbouya was in a army camp run by US particular forces when he rounded up his allies and left in the course of the night time in 50 vehicles to grab energy within the capital of Conakry. On the morning of 5 September final yr, his forces marched into the Presidential Palace, reportedly assembly little resistance.
Condé was detained and faraway from the palace and his present whereabouts are unknown. Later that day, in a nationally-televised deal with, Doumbouya introduced the dissolution of the structure, authorities and parliament and the closure of nationwide borders.
He has since promised contemporary nationwide elections and to not run for workplace himself, however in March the six-month deadline demanded by ECOWAS for a return to civilian rule was missed. He’s now Africa’s second-youngest chief, behind solely Mali’s Assimi Goïta, 38, who additionally staged a army takeover and is a private good friend of Doumbouya.
Educated by the French Legionnaires, the 42-year-old served in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic and delivered shut safety in Israel, Cyprus, and the UK.
His spouse, Lauriane, is a serving member of the French Nationwide Gendarmerie, whereas additionally now holding the place of the primary woman of Guinea.
President Doumbouya’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark.
A MoD spokesperson mentioned: “Armed forces personnel from everywhere in the globe attend our world famend Defence Academy. Personnel from Guinea have attended management and different vocational programs for a few years, specializing in subjects such pretty much as good governance and worldwide humanitarian legislation. Such programs are provided to a variety of countries and serve an essential diplomatic operate.”
The MoD refused to touch upon the vetting course of for attendees of the course.
Iain Overton, government director of AOAV, additionally leads the Byline Intelligence Staff
This text was produced by the Byline Intelligence Staff – a collaborative investigative venture shaped by Byline Instances with The Residents. If you need to search out out extra in regards to the Intelligence Staff and fund its work, click on on the button under.
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