Guinea junta leader Mamady Doumbouya was inaugurated as interim president on Friday to oversee what regional powers hope will be a short transition to constitutional rule after the September 5 overthrow of President Alpha Conde.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Mohamed V Palace in the capital Conakry with the marked absence of most West African heads of state, who agreed last month to impose sanctions on junta members and their relatives.
West and Central Africa has seen four coups since last year — political upheaval that has intensified concerns about a slide towards military rule in a resource-rich but poverty-stricken region.
Wearing military dress uniform, a red beret and wraparound sunglasses, Doumbouya held up a white-gloved hand as he took the oath of office.
“I fully appreciate the magnitude and immensity of the responsibilities entrusted to me,” he said in a speech afterwards.
He promised to oversee a transition that would include the drafting of a new constitution, fighting corruption, electoral reform and the organization of free and transparent elections.
