ABSTRACT
Since gaining independence in 1958, Guinea has been plagued with a chequered history, with political elites adopting a gerontocratic approach to politics and governance. While this approach favours the elites, it has succeeded in marginalising the country’s youth and undermining their agency. With Guinea’s transition from military dictatorship to civilian rule in 1990, it appears that elections have been merely used by the elites as a means of justifying their grip on power and access to state resources, as was the case with President Alpha Condè’s bid for a third term. This chapter focuses on the experience of Guinea’s youth in mobilising and challenging the third term bid between 2020 and 2021. It critically examines how the state succeeded in instrumentalising state institutions, changing constitutional provisions, and using state security actors as agents of oppression against the nation’s youth. The chapter also analyses the 5 September 2021 military coup that toppled Condè and the implications for peace and stability in Guinea.
