The political veteran is confronted with the formidable task of establishing a government amidst an ongoing indefinite general strike, initiated this week due to profound economic hardships and alleged repressive policies by the military authorities.
Television broadcasts captured Bah taking the oath of office in the presence of interim President Mamady Doumbouya, a special forces commander who seized power from former President Alpha Conde in a coup in 2021.
Bah, also known as Bah Oury, has been a prominent figure in Guinean politics since the early nineties. He previously served as minister of reconciliation in a consensus government following a political crisis triggered by the deaths of at least 130 people in union-led protests in 2007.
As the founder and vice president of the UFDG party, Bah Oury spent four years in exile in France, during which he was convicted in absentia for his alleged involvement in a 2011 assassination attempt against Conde. He returned to Guinea in 2016 following a presidential pardon but was subsequently ousted from UFDG. In recent times, he has faced criticism for his alignment with the junta.
(REUTERS)
