Conte, Lansana

▪ 2009

      Guinean strongman

born c. 1934, Loumbaya-Moussaya, Dubréka prefecture, French Guinea

died Dec. 22, 2008, Conakry, Guinea

was the autocratic ruler of his country for almost 25 years after initially taking control as the head of the Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN) that assumed power in April 1984, shortly after the death of Pres. Ahmed Touré. Conté, a member of the Susu ethnic group and a Muslim, received his military training in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal before enlisting (1955) in the French army. He took part in the defense of Conakry during the attempted invasion from neighbouring Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) in November 1970, though he fought with Guinea-Bissau nationalists in 1971 during their struggle for independence from Portugal. After taking a technical course (1974) in Minsk, U.S.S.R. (now in Belarus), he was made (1975) chief of staff of land forces, a post that he retained until Touré's death. President Conté promised the restoration of human rights and full democratic elections and was reelected three times (1993, 1998, and 2003) in ostensibly multiparty ballots, but he grew increasingly authoritarian amid growing accusations of fraud and intimidation of the opposition. During the last three years of his life, Conté, who was believed to be diabetic and possibly suffering from leukemia, sought medical treatment outside of the country.

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