Sub-regional body ECOWAS, has condemned the Guinean military’s arrest of President, Alpha Condé on Sunday.

A statement from the sub-regional bloc described the instability as an attempted coup and demanded the “unconditional release” of Condé and his associates.

The statement also demanded “a return to constitutional rule, failing which sanctions will apply.”

“ECOWAS reaffirms its disapproval of any unconstitutional political change,” the statement, signed by the Chairman, President Akufo-Addo read.

The Ghanaian leader further urged the military to act in a republican manner and expressed “solidarity with the Guinean people and government.”

This comes after some soldiers staged an uprising in Guinea’s capital Conakry.

In a short broadcast on state television, Guinean army officer Mamady Doumbouya said that they have dissolved the constitution and the government in the West African state.

This followed unverified videos shared on social media, apparently showing President Alpha Conde being surrounded by soldiers. His whereabouts are unclear.

This was after earlier reports of heavy gunfire in Conakry, near the presidential palace though it was unclear who was responsible.

After seizing the airwaves, the mutinous soldiers vowed to restore democracy. Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya sat draped in a Guinean flag with a half dozen other soldiers in uniform alongside him as he read the statement, saying: “The duty of a soldier is to save the country.

“The personalisation of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one man, we will entrust it to the people,” Doumbouya said, adding that the constitution would also be dissolved and borders closed for one week.

But Guinea’s Defence Ministry said that an attack by mutinous special forces on the presidential palace had been repelled on Sunday. It was not immediately clear who held power.

Meanwhile, the President of the African Union, His Excellency Félix Tshisekedi and the President of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat have also condemned the attempted coup.

Aside from demanding the immediate release of President Alpha Condé, they invite the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to convene an Emergency Meeting to examine the new developments in Guinea and to take relevant measures.