Guinea’s veteran opposition Chief and former Prime Minister Sidya Touré has died at the age of 81 at the American Hospital of Paris in France following a period of illness.
Confirming his passing, family members stated that Touré died on Friday after being transferred to the French capital from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he had been living in exile following Guinea’s September 2021 military coup.
Touré served as Prime Minister from July 1996 to March 1999 under President Lansana Conté, earning widespread recognition as a pragmatic economic reformer who stabilised national public finances and improved infrastructure before taking over the Union of Republican Forces party in 2000.
Current Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah paid tribute on social media, describing Touré as a prominent figure in the country’s political life for three decades and praising his legacy as a dedicated public servant.
His death comes just months after the ruling military junta dissolved his party along with 39 other political organisations in a widespread crackdown on opposition groups.
–ChannelAfrica–
