Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah

Oumar Sylla is a prominent journalist, activist, and the National Coordinator of the Guinean opposition coalition, the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC). Mamadou Billo Bah is a mobilization coordinator for the FNDC.

On July 9, 2024, both men—together with another FNDC member, Mohamed Cissé—were seized during a government raid on Mr. Sylla’s home in Conakry shortly after a planning meeting for a peaceful FNDC mobilization. Cissé was released the following day with signs of torture; Sylla and Bah have been held incommunicado since their arrest.

Authorities publicly deny arresting or holding them—asserting instead that they were abducted by non-state actors—despite eyewitness reports that government forces conducted the arrest. Authorities have refused to open an investigation, leaving the men forcibly disappeared and without access to family or counsel.

These arrests occurred amid a broader post-coup crackdown on opposition politicians and activists. Since 2022, authorities have banned demonstrations, throttled media and internet access, and used lethal force against protesters.