Former Guinean Prime Minister Sidya Touré Dies in Paris

Former Guinean Prime Minister and veteran opposition leader, Sidya Touré, has died in Paris at the age of 81.

Sources close to his family said Touré died on Friday at the American Hospital of Paris, where he had been receiving treatment for about two weeks after falling ill in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Touré, who led the Union of Republican Forces (UFR), had lived in exile in Abidjan since the September 2021 military coup that brought Mamady Doumbouya to power.

His death comes amid a prolonged crackdown on political opposition in Guinea. The UFR was among 40 political parties dissolved by the authorities in March.

Touré was also absent from Guinea’s presidential election last December, which did not feature the UFR or the country’s two other major opposition parties, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) and the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG).

UFDG leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who is also in exile, described Touré as “a friend and companion in the struggle”, saying they shared a vision of a prosperous Guinea governed by democracy and the rule of law.

Touré served as Prime Minister under President Lansana Conté from July 1996 to March 1999. His tenure focused on administrative and economic reforms and strengthening Guinea’s relationship with international financial institutions.

He became leader of the UFR in 2000 and subsequently emerged as one of Guinea’s leading opposition figures. He contested the presidency in 2010 and 2015 but was unsuccessful on both occasions.

Born in Côte d’Ivoire in 1945, Touré also held positions in the country’s economic and financial administration before becoming a major figure in Guinean politics.

Former President Alpha Condé described his death as “deeply regrettable”, particularly given the exile Touré endured towards the end of his life.

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah paid tribute to him as a “pragmatic reformer” and “a prominent figure in Guinea’s political life for three decades”.

Touré’s death brings to an end a political career spanning decades of government service, economic reform and opposition politics in Guinea.