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The head of Guinea’s military junta, General Mamady Doumbouya, has banned ministers from traveling abroad without his permission and has recalled all those currently outside the country, his office said.

The press release, published Thursday, comes into force immediately and until the end of the year, indicated the secretary general of the government.

“On instructions from the president,” we read in the press release, “all ministers on mission abroad are asked to finish and return to national territory.”

Several ministers are currently abroad.

Government spokesperson Ousmane Gaoual Diallo said the decision had been taken to reduce public spending.

This measure “reinforces the efficiency of the government while ensuring optimal management of state resources,” he told AFP.

Senior ministry officials and diplomats can still represent the country abroad, he added.

Former Colonel Doumbouya, now president of this West African country and promoted to general, took power in September 2021.

The junta initially bowed to international pressure to return power to civilian rule by the end of 2024.

But he has since admitted he would not honor that commitment.

Several members of the government have spoken out in favor of Doumbouya’s candidacy in the next presidential election.

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