This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
Guinea's President Alpha Conde has been under fire for his government's handling of protests, with over 100 deaths reported since he took office in 2010.
On October 12, 2019, just two days before planned demonstrations, leaders of the opposition coalition, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), were arrested by masked security forces.
The FNDC, formed in April by opposition parties, civil society associations, and trade unions, had called for a general strike and protests throughout the country on October 14, 2019.
The arrests targeted the FNDC's coordinator, Abdourahamane Sanoh, and other top members of the umbrella grouping, according to opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo.
President Conde, 81, had sparked controversy by calling for a referendum and elections last month, leading to speculation that he was planning to overcome a constitutional ban on a third term in office.
