Addis Ababa —

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 164th meeting held in Addis Ababa, on 24 December 2008, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Republic of Guinea:

Council,

 1. Expresses its profound sadness at the passing of President Lansana Conté, President of the Republic of Guinea, and conveys its heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Guinea and to the family of the deceased Head of State;

2. Recalls the press release on the situation in Guinea issued by the Chairperson of the Commission on 23 December 2008;

3. Takes note of the briefing by the Commission on the situation in the Republic of Guinea, as well as the statements made by the Permanent Representative of Guinea to the AU and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for West Africa;

4. Strongly condemns the coup attempt in that country by elements of the Guinean armed forces, upon the announcement of the death of President Lansana Conté, and their subsequent announcement of the suspension of the Constitution and state institutions, in flagrant violation of the Guinean Constitution, the Algiers Decision of July 1999, the Lomé Declaration of July 2000, the Constitutive Act of the AU, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council and relevant instruments of ECOWAS;

5. Demands the respect of the provisions of the Guinean Constitution, including those relating to the succession to the Head of State, and urges all Guinean stakeholders to work within the framework of legality, in a spirit of consensus and in the higher interest of Guinea;

6. Urges all parties in Guinea, particularly the heads of the armed forces at all levels, to do everything to avoid acts of violence and coercion. In this regard, Council stresses that the perpetrators of the coup attempt and all those involved in the subversion of the Guinean Constitution and efforts aimed at undermining legality, including violations of human rights and the dignity of Guineans, shall be held fully and personally accountable for their actions and dealt with accordingly;

7. Welcomes the efforts that ECOWAS has been making over the past few years to engage the Guinean authorities and other stakeholders on the serious problems facing their country, in particular the immediate action of the ECOWAS leadership in unequivocally condemning the coup attempt and the call for the respect of the Constitution, including its provisions pertaining to succession to the Head of State. Council encourages ECOWAS to pursue and intensify its efforts, including the early dispatch of a delegation of the region to Conakry, to assess the situation and facilitate the resolution of the current impasse created by the announcement of the seizure of power by force by elements of the Guinean armed forces;

8. Supports the actions of the Chairperson of the Commission and his consultations with the countries of the region, as well as the close coordination of initiatives with ECOWAS and the United Nations in the joint efforts to address the prevailing situation, reverse the unconstitutional steps taken by elements of the Guinean armed forces, by ensuring a calm and orderly transfer of power within the framework of the Constitution, and assist the country to address the numerous political and socio-economic challenges facing it;

9. Stresses its determination , in line with the relevant provisions of the AU Constitutive Act, the Lomé Declaration of July 2000 and the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council to take appropriate measures in order to preserve constitutional order in Guinea;

10. Calls on all AU partners to strongly support the position of ECOWAS and the AU and send unequivocal message to the authors of the coup attempt in Guinea on the need for them to comply with the relevant provisions on the Guinean Constitution and the determination of the international community to defeat their attempt to seize power by force;

11. Expresses grave concern about the resurgence of the phenomenon of coup d'Etat, which constitutes a threat to peace and security on the continent, as well as a very serious set back in the ongoing democratization process in Africa. Council requests the Commission to include this issue on the agenda of the AU policy organs for in depth consideration, including from the point of view of legal instruments and that of the implementation of prevention and early warning actions;

12. Decides to remain seized of the matter.