Guinea: Cellou Dalein claims his passport has been revoked, blocking his departure for the UN

Cellou Dalein Diallo claims he was prevented from leaving Abidjan on Monday, September 21, 2026, to travel to New York after the Guinean authorities revoked his passport. The opposition leader was scheduled to attend meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

According to a statement from the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), the former Prime Minister had completed the necessary departure formalities and received his boarding pass for an Ethiopian Airlines flight. The airline later informed him that his travel document had been revoked by the issuing administration, preventing him from continuing his journey.

Cellou Dalein Diallo confirmed this situation to AFP on Tuesday. He explained that a border police service from a West African country had previously notified him, about two months earlier, that his passport was listed as revoked. However, the document is valid until 2031. Due to the lack of an official notification from Conakry, he stated that he continued to use it for his travels.

The UFDG denounces this arbitrary measure targeting its president and demands the restoration of his right to travel. As of Tuesday, September 22, the Guinean authorities had not publicly responded to requests reported by AFP. No administrative decision explaining the revocation or any recourse had been made known.

Having been based abroad since 2022, Cellou Dalein Diallo remains one of the main figures in the opposition to Mamadi Doumbouya. His party was dissolved in March 2026 along with other major political formations. The opposition leader had previously been excluded from the electoral roll, which prevented him from running in the presidential election in December 2025.

The passport blockage occurs amid a series of restrictions already condemned by the UFDG. This time, the consequence is immediate: Cellou Dalein Diallo was unable to reach New York for the scheduled meetings during the 81st UN General Assembly, which opened on September 22.