Sékouba Konaté

Sékouba Konaté (born June 6, 1964 in Conakry ) is a Guinean brigadier general . From December 2008 to December 2009 he was a member of the military junta that had formed following the death of President Lansana Conté , the country's vice-president. In this capacity, he temporarily took over the government as President between December 3, 2009 and December 21, 2010 after President Moussa Dadis Camara was seriously injured in an assassination attempt and therefore incapacitated, and made it possible, contrary to what was expected of his predecessor would be, after more than half a century of free presidential elections.

Family and military career

Konaté was born in the Guinean capital Conakry in 1964. His parents belonged to the Mandinka people , who together with related peoples make up about 30% of the population of Guinea. According to another source, his mother is said to have been Lebanese , and his Guinean father is said to have served in the French army until he returned to the country after Guinea gained independence in 1958. According to the same source, the former dictator Lansana Conté became Konaté's "protector" after the death of Konaté's father in 1982. He attended the Académie Militaire Royale in the Moroccan city ​​of Meknes . In 1995 he fought with Guinean units in neighboring Sierra Leone . Because of his bravery in battle, he was nicknamed "El Tigre".

The way to the presidency

When Moussa Dadis Camara came to power after the death of longtime president Lansana Conté in December 2008, he published a list of the members of his junta, which included 32 names, on which Sékouba Konaté did not appear. According to eyewitness reports, unrest broke out in Camp Alpha Yaya Diallo , the capital's most important barracks, and supporters of Konaté demanded his participation in power. Allegedly then, Camara, Konaté and a third officer met. To put an end to the turmoil, the three are said to have taken turns drawing lots to determine which of them should become president. It was only after Camara had won twice in a row that Konaté accepted the post as Vice President of the Conseil National de la Démocratie et du Développement ( CNDD , National Council for Democracy and Development ). On December 3, 2008, he was also appointed Minister of Defense of Guinea. He also headed the Committee for the Review of the Strategic Sectors of Guinea's Economy ( Comitéacoit et de surveillance des secteurs stratégiques de l'économie )

The assassination attempt on Mousa Dadis Camara finally opened the way to power, which he did not want to keep in the long term.

End of his presidency

The presidential election in Guinea 2010 took place on June 27, 2010 , the first free election ever in this country. Sékouba Konaté did not run as a candidate. Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé received the most votes of all candidates with 39% and 20% respectively. After Alpha Conde's victory in the runoff election on November 7, 2010, he was sworn in on December 21, 2010 as Sekouba's successor.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ jeuneafrique.com: Jusqu'où ira Sékouba Konaté?
2. ↑ http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Guinea-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html nationsencyclopedia.com
3. ↑ Sékouba Konaté, militaire le plus puissant de Guinée, homme-clef du putsch de 2008 ( Memento from January 25, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
4. ↑ http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2513p034-035.xml1/-biographie-express-Sekouba-Konate-Bioexpress-SekoubaKonate.html taken July 19, 2010
5. ^ Archived copy ( memento of December 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) taken July 19, 2010
6. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7798578.stm
7. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Mar21/0,4670,AFGuineaWaitingfortheEmperor,00.html
8. ↑ http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2513p034-035.xml1/-biographie-express-Sekouba-Konate-Bioexpress-SekoubaKonate.html taken July 19, 2010
9. ↑ taz, December 4, 2009: "Juntach chief seriously injured in assassination attempt"
10. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )