Ahmed Sékou Touré

Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; January 9, 1922 – March 26, 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who became the first president of Guinea, serving from 1958 until his death in 1984.

Ahmed Sékou Touré
Sékou Touré during an official visit to the United States in 1982
1st President of Guinea
In office October 2, 1958 – March 26, 1984
Prime Minister	Louis Lansana Beavogui
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Louis Lansana Beavogui
1st Prime Minister of Guinea
In office 2 October 1956 – 26 April 1972
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Louis Lansana Beavogui
Personal details
Born	(1922-01-09)January 9, 1922 Faranah, French Guinea
Died	March 26, 1984(1984-03-26) (aged 62) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality	Guinean
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Marie N'Daw (1947-1952) Andrée Touré (1953-1984)
Military service
Allegiance	Guinea

In 1960, he declared his Democratic Party of Guinea (Parti démocratique de Guinée, PDG) the only legal party in the state. He ruled from then on as a dictator. He was re-elected unopposed to four seven-year terms since there was no legal opposition. Under his rule many people were killed.

In October 2021, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the October 1971 massacre, relatives of 70 Guineans executed under the Sékou Touré regime asked President Mamady Doumbouya for rehabilitation and a dignified burial for the victims.

Other websites

• 1959 Time magazine cover story about Sékou Touré
• WebGuinee - Sekou Toure Archived 2018-03-18 at the Wayback Machine Publishes full text of books and articles as well photos of Sekou Toure
• Camp Boiro Memorial. Extensive list of reports and articles on the notorious political prison where thousands of victims of the dictatorship of Sekou Toure disappeared between 1960 and 1984.
• More information about Ahmed Sékou Touré (French)
• BBC Radio: President Sekou Toure Defends One-Party Rule (1959).
• Conflict history: Guinea, 11 May 2007. International Crisis Group.
• 1st page on the French National Assembly website
• 2nd page on the French National Assembly website