France, April 2 -- Guinea's military government says a long-promised referendum on a new constitution will take place this September. The vote is seen as a first step towards a return to civilian rule, which the junta had previously promised would happen by the end of 2024.

"The date for the referendum for the adoption of the new constitution is set for Sunday 21 September 2025," said General Amara Camara, secretary general of the presidency, during a televised address on Tuesday.

He was reading a presidential decree, the French news agency AFP reported.

Guinea's junta, led by General Mamadi Doumbouya, seized power in a coup in September 2021. It had promised, under international pressure, to hold a constitutional vote and then transfe...