Guinean opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo says his passport has been revoked, preventing him from travelling to New York to attend meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Diallo, who has lived in exile since 2022, said on Tuesday that he had been scheduled to participate in several activities linked to the UN gathering.
His party, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), said Diallo had already obtained his boarding pass for a flight from Abidjan to New York when Ethiopian Airlines informed him that his passport had been cancelled by the “issuing authorities”.
The airline subsequently told him that he could not board the flight, according to the party.
The UFDG was dissolved in March by President Mamady Doumbouya, alongside several other major opposition parties.
Doumbouya seized power in a 2021 military coup that ousted Guinea’s first freely elected president, Alpha Condé.
He later secured a seven-year presidential term in disputed elections held in December last year. Major opposition figures, including Diallo, were barred from participating in the election.
Since taking power, Doumbouya’s government has banned demonstrations, while opposition figures and other dissenting voices have faced arrests, convictions and exile. Some opponents have also been reported missing.
Following the dissolution of political parties, Diallo called on Guineans to engage in “direct resistance”, although he did not specify what form such action should take.
He also said at the time that political change in Guinea would not be achieved through dialogue or democratic processes.
