Former Guinea prime minister Sidya Touré dies at 81

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

Touré died in Paris on Friday after a period of illness, according to sources close to his family who spoke to AFP.

He had reportedly been receiving treatment at the American Hospital of Paris for about two weeks after becoming ill in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Touré was one of Guinea’s prominent political figures and had led the Union of Republican Forces, known as the UFR, since 2000.

He had been living in exile in Abidjan since leaving Guinea following the military coup of September 2021 that brought Mamady Doumbouya

The UFR was among dozens of political parties dissolved by Guinean authorities in March 2026.

Touré remained one of Guinea’s prominent opposition voices during his years outside government.

From prime minister to opposition leader

Touré served as Guinea’s prime minister from July 1996 to March 1999 under then-President Lansana Conté.

His period in office included economic and administrative reforms as well as efforts to strengthen Guinea’s relationship with international financial institutions.

After leaving government, he became leader of the UFR and established himself as an opposition figure.

Touré contested Guinea’s presidential elections as the UFR candidate in 2010 and 2015 but was unsuccessful on both occasions

Born in 1945 in Ivory Coast, Touré also spent part of his professional career working in that country’s economic and financial administration.

Guinea’s current Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah paid tribute to Touré following news of his death, describing him as a significant figure in the country’s political life and remembering him for his reform-oriented approach.

Touré’s death brings to an end a political career that spanned government, opposition politics and exile across several decades of Guinea’s modern history.