The leader of the military coup in Guinea summoned the ministers from the previous government on Monday and began giving instructions. Col. Mamady Doumbouya, who had been the head of special forces, told the ousted officials to turn over their government vehicles and not leave the country, NPR reports. They were assured that officials who had been removed would not be hunted down. In an address to the nation on Sunday, a Guinean flag over his shoulders, Doumbouya defended the takeover. "Our action is not a coup d'etat," he said, per the Washington Post. "It only reflects the legitimate aspiration of people to want to live in an environment where basic human needs can be met."