| 1984 Guinean coup d'état | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of Guinea. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Louis Lansana Beavogui | Lansana Conté | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| No casualties reported. | |||||||
  Nexus of coup in Conakry (marked green), Guinea | |||||||
The1984 Guinean coup d'état was the bloodlessmilitarycoup that took place inGuinea on 3 April 1984, led by ColonelLansana Conté.[1] It led to the deposition ofPrime MinisterLouis Lansana Beavogui, who had held the office since 1972, and had been serving asinterim president since 26 March, when longtime PresidentAhmed Sékou Touré died during an emergency heart operation at theCleveland Clinic in theUnited States.[2][3]
The military struck just hours before thePolitburo of theDemocratic Party of Guinea (PDG), the only legally permitted party in the country, was to select a new leader. Interim president Beavogui was expected to win.[1] Under the Constitution, the PDG's leader would have been automatically elected to a seven-year term as president, and would have been confirmed in office via a referendum the following spring.
Colonel Conté suspended the constitution and dissolved the PDG, theNational Assembly and all mass organizations. TheMilitary Committee of National Restoration (CMNR) was created as the rulingjunta.[1] He ordered the release of political prisoners held atCamp Boiro, aconcentration camp within the capitalConakry.[4] Conté was named new President on 5 April.[5]
Eventually, a power struggle developed between Conté and a fellow member of the CMNR, Lieutenant ColonelDiarra Traoré (who briefly served as Prime Minister in April–December 1984), with the latter being executed in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 1985.[6][7] Conté took advantage of the coup attempt to execute several of Ahmed Sekou Touré's close associates, including his half-brotherIsmaël Touré (former chief prosecutor at Camp Boiro),Mamadi Keïta,Siaka Touré (former commander of Camp Boiro),Moussa Diakité,[8] andAbdoulaye Touré (formerMinister of Foreign Affairs).[9]
Conté remained in power until his death on 22 December 2008,[10][11] which was almost immediately followed by anothercoup d'état, led by CaptainMoussa Dadis Camara.[12][13]
