1984 Guinean coup d'état


The 1984 Guinean coup d'état was the bloodless military coup that took place in Guinea on 3 April 1984, led by Colonel Lansana Conté. It led to the deposition of Prime Minister Louis Lansana Beavogui, who held the office since 1972, and assumed interim presidential powers on 26 March, when the long-time President Ahmed Sékou Touré died during an emergency heart operation at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States.

The coup

The military struck just hours before the Politburo of the Democratic Party of Guinea, the only legally permitted party in the country, was to select a new leader. Interim president Beavogui was expected to win. Under the Constitution, the new leader would have been automatically elected to a seven-year term as president, and would have been confirmed in office via a referendum.
Colonel Conté suspended the constitution and dissolved the PDG, the National Assembly and all mass organizations. The Military Committee of National Restoration was created as the ruling junta. He ordered the release of political prisoners held at Camp Boiro, a concentration camp within the capital Conakry. Conté was named new President on 5 April.

Aftermath

Eventually, a power struggle developed between Conté and a fellow member of the CMNR, Diarra Traoré, with the latter being executed in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 1985. Conté took advantage of the coup attempt to execute several of Ahmed Sekou Touré's close associates, including his half-brother Ismaël Touré, Mamadi Keïta, Siaka Touré, Moussa Diakité, and Abdoulaye Touré.
Conté remained in power until his death on 22 December 2008, which was almost immediately followed by another coup d'état, led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.