Ahmed Sékou Touré

Ahmed Sékou Touré (also known as Sheku Turay or Ture) was a Guinean political leader and the first president of Guinea. He served from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was one of the main leaders who helped Guinea gain independence from France.

Touré came from the Mandinka ethnic group and was a devout Muslim. He was also the great-grandson of Samori Ture, a powerful Muslim leader in West Africa. In 1960, Touré made his Democratic Party of Guinea the only legal party and ruled with strong control, being re-elected many times without any real opposition.

Sadly, many people suffered during his time as leader. Touré died in the United States in 1984.

Childhood and family background

Ahmed Sékou Touré was born on 9 January 1922 in a Muslim family in Faranah, a town in French Guinea, which was part of French West Africa. Faranah lies along the banks of the Niger River. He was one of seven children of Alpha Touré and Aminata Touré, who were farmers. Sékou Touré belonged to the Mandinka ethnic group, an important and respected group in the area. His great-grandfather was Samori Ture, a famous leader who created the Wassoulou Empire in the late 1800s and fought against French rule before being captured.

Sékou Touré went to a local school for children and later a French school in Kankan. As a young person, he became active in groups that stood up for workers' rights and read books by thinkers like Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

Politics and trade unions

In 1940, Touré started working for a company and later joined the postal service in 1941. During this time, he connected with a big labor group in France.

Touré became active in politics while working in the postal service. In 1945, he started the first trade union in French Guinea. In 1946, he helped create a group of political parties in French West and Equatorial Africa. He worked hard to support workers’ rights and later led a big strike in 1953. He was also elected to represent Guinea and spoke out against French colonial rule.

In 1958, Guinea had a vote on whether to stay under French control or become independent. Touré led Guinea to vote for independence. This made Guinea the first French colony to choose full independence. After the vote, many French workers left Guinea, taking things with them.

Presidency (1958–1984)

In 1960, Touré made his political party the only one allowed in Guinea. For the next 24 years, he held all the power in the country. He was elected president in 1961 with no other candidates, and was re-elected many times after that.

Touré based his policies on ideas about sharing wealth and resources fairly. He took control of foreign companies and made plans to manage the economy centrally. He believed Africa should be independent from its former colonial rulers. Later, he also worked with other countries that shared his views on independence. However, many people were unhappy because they felt the government did not give them opportunities or rights. Some people even left Guinea to live in nearby countries.

Death

Ahmed Sékou Touré passed away from a heart problem on 26 March 1984 while he was receiving medical care in the United States at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He had been taken there for urgent heart treatment after falling ill in Saudi Arabia the day before. His burial place is at the Camayanne Mausoleum, located in the gardens of the Grand Mosque of Conakry.

Prime Minister Louis Lansana Béavogui became the temporary leader of the country until elections could happen. The ruling party's leaders were set to choose Touré's replacement soon after. However, before this could happen, the military took control of the government. They stopped the old rules, ended the parliament, and removed the ruling party. Colonel Lansana Conté became the new president, leading the Military Committee of National Restoration. The new military leaders released around 1,000 people who had been held for political reasons.

Desecration of Touré's tomb

On July 14, 2020, someone damaged the grave of Ahmed Sékou Touré. They set fire to a flag that was placed there and poured liquid into the burial place. The next day, Touré’s widow expressed her sadness about what happened. She mentioned that the grave belongs to her family and currently has no security, and she thought about getting security guards to protect it.

Awards and honours

Foreign awards and honours

Ribbon	Distinction	Country	Date
	Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany	West Germany	1959
	Collar of the Order of the White Lion	Czechoslovakia	30 November 1959
	Order of the Yugoslav Great Star	Yugoslavia	7 January 1961
	Lenin Peace Prize	Soviet Union	30 April 1961
	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour	France	20 December 1978
	Collar of the Order of Civil Merit	Spain	10 May 1979
	Supreme Companion of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo	South Africa	16 June 2004 (posthumously)
	Grand Officer of the Order Agostinho Neto	Angola	6 November 2025

Works by Touré (partial)

Ahmed Sékou Touré wrote many important speeches and books. Some of his well-known works include:

• 8 novembre 1964 (Conakry): Parti démocratique de Guinée, (1965)
• A propos du Sahara Occidental: intervention du président Ahmed Sékou Touré devant le 17^e sommet de l'OUA, Freetown, le 3 juillet 1980. (S.l. : s.n., 1980)
• Address of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, President of the Republic of Guinee: suggestions submitted during the West Africa consultative regional meeting held at Conakry, during 19 and 20 November 1971. (Cairo : Permanent Secretariat of the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization, 1971)
• Afrika and imperialism. Newark, N.J. : Jihad Pub. Co., 1973.
• Conférences, discours et rapports, Conakry : Impr. du Gouvernement, (1958–)
• Congres général de l'U.G.T.A.N. (Union général des travailleurs de l'Afrique noire): Conakry, 15–18 janvier 1959: rapport d'orientation et de doctrine. (Paris) : Présence africaine, c1959.
• Discours de Monsieur Sékou Touré, Président du Conseil de Gouvernement des 28 juillet et 25 aout 1958, de Monsieur Diallo Saifoulaye, Président de l'Assemblée territoriale et du Général de Gaulle, Président du Gouvernement de la Républ (Conakry) : Guinée Française, (1958)
• Doctrine and methods of the Democratic Party of Guinea (Conakry 1963).
• Expérience guinéenne et unité africaine. Paris, Présence africaine (1959)
• Guinée-Festival / commentaire et montage, Wolibo Dukuré dit Grand-pére. Conakry : Commission Culturelle du Comité Central, 1983.
• Guinée, prélude à l'indépendance (Avant-propos de Jacques Rabemananjara) Paris, Présence africaine (1958)
• Hommage à la révolution Cubaine; Message du camarade Ahmed Sekou Toure au peuple Cubain à l'occasion du 20^e anniversaire de l'attaque de la Caserne de Moncada (Juillet 1973). Conakry : Bureau de Presse de la Presidence de la Republique, (1975).
• Ahmed Sékou Touré. International policy and diplomatic action of the Democratic Party of Guinea; extracts from the report on doctrine and orientation submitted to the 3d National Conference of the P.D.G. (Cairo, Société Orientale de Publicité-Press, 1962)
• Ahmed Sékou Touré. Opening speech of the Summit of Heads of State and Government by President Ahmed Sékou Touré, chairman of the Summit (November 20, 1980). (S.l. : s.n., 1980)
• Ahmed Sékou Touré. Poèmes militants. (Conakry, Guinea) : Parti démocratique de Guinée, 1964
• Ahmed Sékou Touré. Political leader considered as the representative of a culture. (Newark, N. J. : Jihad Productions, 19--)
• Ahmed Sékou Touré. Pour l'amitié algéro-guinéenne. (Conakry, Guinea : Parti démocratique de Guinée, 1972)
• Rapport de doctrine et de politique générale, Conakry : Imprimerie Nationale, 1959.
• Strategy and tactics of the revolution, Conakry, Guinea : Press Office, 1978.
• Unité nationale, Conakry, République de Guinée (B.P. 1005, Conakry, République de Guinée) : Bureau de presse de la Présidence de la République, 1977.