SUMMARY

Guinea became independent from France in 1958, being the only French colony that opted for immediate and full disassociation from French rule. Ahmed Sékou Touré took the reins of the new country, creating a socialist state under his personal control. After his death in 1984, power was seized in a military coup by Lansana Conté (then Chief of Staff), who turned the country into a semi-military regime under his command. He remained the figurehead of the state until his death in 2008, after winning a series of elections during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Conté’s rule was safeguarded by a close-knit nurturing of the armed forces. To preserve his powerbase Conté not only relied on the regular army and security forces, but also on his Presidential Guard; the Red Berets. The Red Berets received better pay and more privileges than other sections of the armed forces and were controlled directly by President Conté. Conté has relied on the brute force and loyalty of this force when other armed elements have not been enough to quell dissent. The Red Berets were led by Conté’s son; Ousmane. Control over the other sections of the armed forces was usually relatively high, but troops in Guinea have also been known to incite local mutinies to demand higher pay or more privileges.

In 2010, Alpha Condé, known for his fierce opposition to Lansana Conté was elected as the new president of Guinea. After a failed coup attempt in 2011, he was reelected in 2015, after which he promised that this would be his last term. However, in October 2019 as the end of his second mandate approached, Condé initiated a process to change the Constitution, thus prompting the start of open-ended protests, as there were suspicions that he intended to use the constitutional reform to seek a third term in office. For over a year, opposition parties, unions and civil society groups mobilized against a possible third term for Condé, which led to several attacks against civilians by the armed forces.

In September 2020, Condé announced he would seek a third term, and a month later he was reelected as the president of Guinea.

The Government of Guinea has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.