Ismaël Touré
Encyclopedia
Ismaël Touré was a Guinea
n political figure and the half brother of former President Ahmed Sékou Touré
. He was the chief prosecutor at the notorious Camp Boiro
.
, Guinea in 1926.
He attended school in Paris, where he met and quarreled with his compatriot Boubacar Telli Diallo, who was later to die at Camp Boiro.
He was trained as a meteorologist.
In 1956 he served on the local council in Kankan
where he was also head of the weather station and was elected as a territorial adviser to the Faranah Prefecture
. He was elected Minister of Public Works in 1957 and Minister of Economic Development in January 1963.
He became a member of the tight-knit group of close relatives who supported President Sékou Touré and who became the primary beneficiaries of the regime.
Decisions were often based on personal interests. For example, rather than encourage mining of Guinea's rich iron ore deposits, Ismaël Touré preferred to transport iron ore from Liberia
using the Transguinean Railways
.
Ismaël Touré led the OSPAAAL (Organization for Solidarity for the People of Africa and Asia) when it met for the first time in Cairo
, Egypt in 1957.
He was president of the board responsible for solidarity funds, assisted by two vice-chairmen, Mehdi Ben Barka
of Morocco
and Chu Tzu-chi of the Peoples Republic of China.
However, by 1959 he was in favor of closer ties with the USA and other western countries, in opposition to Keita Fodéba who saw advantages in alignment with the communist bloc. Sékou Touré maintained a non-aligned position.
In May 1969, Touré was replaced as Minister of Economic Affairs by Louis Lansana Beavogui
, who was given the newly created post of Prime Minister in April 1972.
troops and Guinean fighters launched a seaborne attack on the Conakry
area of Guinea in an attempt to overthrow the government, occupying key positions and releasing political prisoners held in the camps. The attack failed, and the raiders withdrew. Sékou Touré used the attack as an excuse for mass arrests of political opponents, in which Ismaël Touré played a leading role. Ismaël was reported to have said his goal was to arrest 150,000 people, not to kill them but to shorten their lives.
Ismael Touré was the regime's chief prosecutor of the prisoners at Camp Boiro, and showed little respect for formal justice.
Talking of the alleged leader of the supporters of the raid, his former leftist opponent Fodéba Keïta
, who was tortured before he "confessed", he said "you have seen Fodeba's confessions… there was almost nothing in them, still we liquidated them".
The effect of the mass arrests in 1970 was to remove all opposition to the inner circle of power, with political life reduced to a struggle between different clans for position within the system.
The inner circle was divided into three factions, each led by a relative of the president. Sékou Touré himself was leader of the centrist party, Ismaël Touré leader of the pro-western party, called "bourgeois degenerates" by the leftist leader Mamadi Keïta
. Ismaël Touré and Mamady Keïta were locked in a struggle to be named the successor to the president.
The 9th party congress in 1972 resolved the contest in favor of the center-right. Sékou Touré remained president and Louis Lansana Beavogui became prime minister. Ismaël Touré was given the senior Ministry of Economy and Finance, Moussa Diakité
became Minister of Interior and Security and Mamady Keïta was relegated to the Ministry of Culture and Education.
In April 1978, as Minister of the Economy and Finance, Ismaël Touré signed a protocol on non-aggression between members of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States.
to take power.
However, on 3 April 1984 General Lansana Conté
, took control in a bloodless coup.
In 1985 Conté took advantage of an alleged coup attempt to execute several of Sekou Touré's close associates, including Ismael Touré.
Others executed included Seydou Keita
, Siaka Touré
, former commander of Camp Boiro, and Moussa Diakité.
Ismaël Touré died on 18 July 1985.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
n political figure and the half brother of former President Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré was an African political leader and President of Guinea from 1958 to his death in 1984...
. He was the chief prosecutor at the notorious Camp Boiro
Camp Boiro
Camp Boiro or Camp Mamadou Boiro is a defunct Guinean concentration camp within Conakry city.During the regime of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, thousands of political opponents were imprisoned at the camp....
.
Early career
Ismaël Touré was born in FaranahFaranah
Faranah is a town and sub-prefecture in central Guinea, lying by the River Niger.Population 87,083 . The town is mainly inhabited by the Mandinka people.- History :...
, Guinea in 1926.
He attended school in Paris, where he met and quarreled with his compatriot Boubacar Telli Diallo, who was later to die at Camp Boiro.
He was trained as a meteorologist.
In 1956 he served on the local council in Kankan
Kankan
Kankan is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population at 207,790 . The city is located on the Milo River in eastern Guinea and lying about 345 miles east of Conakry....
where he was also head of the weather station and was elected as a territorial adviser to the Faranah Prefecture
Faranah Prefecture
Faranah is a prefecture located in the Faranah Region of Guinea. The capital is Faranah. The prefecture covers an area of 13,000 km2 and has an estimated population of 167,000.-Sub-prefectures:...
. He was elected Minister of Public Works in 1957 and Minister of Economic Development in January 1963.
He became a member of the tight-knit group of close relatives who supported President Sékou Touré and who became the primary beneficiaries of the regime.
Decisions were often based on personal interests. For example, rather than encourage mining of Guinea's rich iron ore deposits, Ismaël Touré preferred to transport iron ore from Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
using the Transguinean Railways
Transguinean Railways
The Transguinean Railways is a proposed set of heavy duty standard gauge railways in Guinea to support heavy duty haulage of primarily iron ore and bauxite.- Overview :...
.
Ismaël Touré led the OSPAAAL (Organization for Solidarity for the People of Africa and Asia) when it met for the first time in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt in 1957.
He was president of the board responsible for solidarity funds, assisted by two vice-chairmen, Mehdi Ben Barka
Mehdi Ben Barka
Mehdi Ben Barka was a Moroccan politician, head of the left-wing National Union of Popular Forces and secretary of the Tricontinental Conference...
of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Chu Tzu-chi of the Peoples Republic of China.
However, by 1959 he was in favor of closer ties with the USA and other western countries, in opposition to Keita Fodéba who saw advantages in alignment with the communist bloc. Sékou Touré maintained a non-aligned position.
In May 1969, Touré was replaced as Minister of Economic Affairs by Louis Lansana Beavogui
Louis Lansana Beavogui
Louis Lansana Beavogui was a Guinean politician. He was Prime Minister from 1972 to 1984 and was briefly interim President in 1984.-Background and political career:...
, who was given the newly created post of Prime Minister in April 1972.
Later career
On 22 November 1970, PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
troops and Guinean fighters launched a seaborne attack on the Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
area of Guinea in an attempt to overthrow the government, occupying key positions and releasing political prisoners held in the camps. The attack failed, and the raiders withdrew. Sékou Touré used the attack as an excuse for mass arrests of political opponents, in which Ismaël Touré played a leading role. Ismaël was reported to have said his goal was to arrest 150,000 people, not to kill them but to shorten their lives.
Ismael Touré was the regime's chief prosecutor of the prisoners at Camp Boiro, and showed little respect for formal justice.
Talking of the alleged leader of the supporters of the raid, his former leftist opponent Fodéba Keïta
Fodéba Keïta
Fodéba Keïta was a Guinean dancer, musician, writer, playwright, composer and politician. Founder of the first professional African theatrical troupe, Theatre Africain, he also arranged Liberté, the national anthem of Guinea.-Early years:Keïta was the son of a male nurse...
, who was tortured before he "confessed", he said "you have seen Fodeba's confessions… there was almost nothing in them, still we liquidated them".
The effect of the mass arrests in 1970 was to remove all opposition to the inner circle of power, with political life reduced to a struggle between different clans for position within the system.
The inner circle was divided into three factions, each led by a relative of the president. Sékou Touré himself was leader of the centrist party, Ismaël Touré leader of the pro-western party, called "bourgeois degenerates" by the leftist leader Mamadi Keïta
Mamadi Keïta
Mamadi Keïta was a leading Guinean politician and member of the Politburo of the First Republic of Guinea.-Early years:Mamadi Keïta was born in Kankan in 1933....
. Ismaël Touré and Mamady Keïta were locked in a struggle to be named the successor to the president.
The 9th party congress in 1972 resolved the contest in favor of the center-right. Sékou Touré remained president and Louis Lansana Beavogui became prime minister. Ismaël Touré was given the senior Ministry of Economy and Finance, Moussa Diakité
Moussa Diakité
Moussa Diakité was a Guinean politician during the presidency of Ahmed Sékou Touré.He was a member of the national Politburo.His wife, Tata Keïta, was half sister of the President's wife Andrée, and his son married the eldest daughter of Ismael Touré, the president's brother.In March 1952 Diakité...
became Minister of Interior and Security and Mamady Keïta was relegated to the Ministry of Culture and Education.
In April 1978, as Minister of the Economy and Finance, Ismaël Touré signed a protocol on non-aggression between members of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States.
Fall from power
After his brother, President Sékou Touré, died on 26 March 1984, Ismaël Touré competed with Prime Minister Louis Lansana BeavoguiLouis Lansana Beavogui
Louis Lansana Beavogui was a Guinean politician. He was Prime Minister from 1972 to 1984 and was briefly interim President in 1984.-Background and political career:...
to take power.
However, on 3 April 1984 General Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté was the second President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
, took control in a bloodless coup.
In 1985 Conté took advantage of an alleged coup attempt to execute several of Sekou Touré's close associates, including Ismael Touré.
Others executed included Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita or Seydou Keïta may refer to:* Seydou Keïta , Malian photographer* Seydou Keita , Malian footballer...
, Siaka Touré
Siaka Touré
Siaka Touré was the commandant of Camp Boiro in Conakry, Guinea during the regime of president Ahmed Sékou Touré. During this period, many of the president's political opponents died in the camp....
, former commander of Camp Boiro, and Moussa Diakité.
Ismaël Touré died on 18 July 1985.