Ex-Guinean Prime Minister and veteran opposition leader, Sidya Touré, has died in Paris at the age of 81.
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, sources close to his family said.
The veteran politician, who led the Union of Republican Forces (UFR), had been living in exile in Abidjan since the September 2021 military coup that brought Mamady Doumbouya to power.
His death comes against the backdrop of mounting political restrictions in Guinea, where authorities have tightened their grip on opposition parties and political activities.
The UFR was among 40 political parties dissolved by the authorities in March.
Touré was also excluded from Guinea’s presidential election in December, which was not contested by 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).
Paying tribute to Touré, UFDG leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who is also in exile, described him as “a friend and companion in the struggle.”
Diallo said the two men shared a vision of a prosperous Guinea founded on democracy and the rule of law.
Touré served as Prime Minister under former President Lansana Conté from July 1996 to March 1999. During his tenure, he pursued administrative and economic reforms and worked to strengthen Guinea’s relations with international financial institutions.
He later founded and became leader of the UFR in 2000, emerging as one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures.
Touré contested Guinea’s presidency in 2010 and 2015 but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
Born in Côte d’Ivoire in 1945, he began his career in the country’s economic and financial administration before rising to prominence in Guinean politics.
Former Guinean President Alpha Condé described Touré’s death as “deeply regrettable,” particularly in light of the years he spent in exile toward the end of his life.
Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah also paid tribute to the former premier, describing him as a “pragmatic reformer” and “a prominent figure in Guinea’s political life for three decades.”
Touré’s death marks the end of a political career spanning decades and encompassing government service, economic reform and a long-standing role in Guinea’s opposition politics.