President Mamadi Doumbouya returned to Guinea on Friday, ending a three-week period of absence that had sparked speculation about his health. He was welcomed with fanfare at Conakry’s Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport.
Doumbouya, 41, who seized power in a 2021 coup before being elected for a seven-year term last December, had left Guinea on February 13 to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Authorities later said he was in “good health” after taking a short rest and undergoing routine medical checks during his time abroad.
On arrival, Doumbouya waved to a crowd of supporters from an armoured vehicle. Hundreds gathered at the airport, many wearing caps and t-shirts bearing his image, as officials and a brass band marked his return. The government did not specify the country he had flown from.
Since taking power, Doumbouya has largely kept a low profile, appearing only occasionally at public events, including the AU summit and his inauguration ceremony in January. His rare public appearances, coupled with a visibly slimmer physique, had fueled rumours about his health.
Doumbouya rose to power by toppling Guinea’s first freely elected president, Alpha Conde, and has since been criticised for cracking down on civil liberties. Opposition leaders have faced arrests, trials, or exile, and protests remain banned.
Guinea’s history of military and authoritarian rule since independence in 1958 continues to shape the political climate, and Doumbouya’s prolonged absences have intensified public interest in his leadership and wellbeing.
