The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Wednesday lifted the sanctions imposed on Guinea following the election of Mamadi Doumbouya as president in late December. The sanctions had been enforced after the 2021 coup led by a military junta headed by Doumbouya.
General Doumbouya, 41, had been leading the country since the 2021 coup that overthrew elected President Alpha Condé, prompting ECOWAS to impose a series of sanctions on Guinea. He won the presidential election held at the end of December with 86.72% of the vote, following four years of transition, despite his initial pledge that neither he nor any member of the junta would run for office and that power would be handed back to civilians.
In February 2024, ECOWAS had already eased some economic and financial sanctions.
Following "the successful holding of a constitutional referendum on September 21, 2025, followed by a presidential election on December 28, 2025,” the West African organization said it was "lifting with immediate effect all remaining sanctions against the Republic of Guinea and the individuals involved” in the coup and "reintegrating” the country into the bloc, according to a statement.
ECOWAS also congratulated Mamadi Doumbouya on his election as head of state.
After overthrowing Alpha Condé—the first democratically elected president in Guinea’s history since independence in 1958—Colonel Doumbouya, who later promoted himself to the rank of general, established a hardline regime that silenced dissent across the country.
Arrests, party suspensions, disappearances, and abductions of critical voices have multiplied.
In its statement, ECOWAS "urged the government to intensify efforts to consolidate democracy, good governance, and the rule of law, as well as economic and social development.”