Guinea Former Prime Minister Sidya Toure Dies in Paris at 81

Sidya Toure, Guinea’s former prime minister and a leading opposition figure, has died in Paris at the age of 81, according to sources close to his family cited by AFP.

Toure died on Friday after spending about two weeks at the American Hospital of Paris. The family sources said he had fallen ill in Abidjan before being hospitalised. They spoke anonymously because of concerns for their safety.

Toure had lived in Abidjan since leaving Guinea after the September 2021 military coup. From exile in Ivory Coast, he continued to lead the Union of Republican Forces (UFR), the party he headed from 2000.

Career in government and opposition

Lansana Conte appointed Toure as Guinea’s prime minister in July 1996. He remained in the post until March 1999.

His time in government was associated with administrative and economic reforms, as well as efforts to strengthen Guinea’s relations with international financial institutions. After leaving office, he became increasingly prominent as an opposition leader and ran for president as the UFR candidate in 2010 and 2015.

Toure was born in 1945 in Ivory Coast and spent part of his professional career in the country’s economic and financial administration. He later served under former Guinean President Alpha Conde, despite a number of political disagreements.

The UFR was among 40 political parties dissolved in March. The party was also among significant opposition groups, including the UFDG and RPG, that were not represented in the December presidential vote.

Tributes

Cellou Dalein Diallo, leader of the UFDG, described Toure as “a friend and companion in the struggle” in a statement posted on Facebook. Diallo said the two men shared a vision of turning Guinea, “with all its vast potential, into a prosperous economy governed by the principles of democracy and the rule of law”.

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah called Toure a “pragmatic reformer” and “a prominent figure in Guinea’s political life for three decades” in a post on X.

Former President Alpha Conde said it was “deeply regrettable that a man who gave so much to his country should have endured the ordeal of exile at the end of his life”.

The reports from family sources did not provide a cause of death. No official confirmation from Guinea’s government or Toure’s family was included in the reports cited by AFP.