Former Guinean Prime Minister and opposition leader Sidya Touré will be buried in Ivory Coast, where he lived in exile for nearly five years after Guinea’s 2021 military coup, according to his family.
Touré, 81, died in Paris on Sept. 25 after falling ill in Abidjan, where he had been receiving treatment before being transferred to France. His remains are expected to arrive in Abidjan on Friday, ahead of funeral ceremonies in the Ivorian economic capital.
The family has scheduled the burial for Oct. 9 at the Williamsville Cemetery in Abidjan. Condolences will be received at Touré’s private residence in the Cocody district from Oct. 5 to 7, according to the announced funeral programme.
Touré served as Guinea’s prime minister from 1996 to 1999 under then President Lansana Conté. During his tenure, he pursued administrative and economic reforms and worked to strengthen Guinea’s relations with international financial institutions.
He later became a leading opposition figure and headed the Union of Republican Forces, one of Guinea’s major opposition parties. The party was among 40 political parties dissolved by Guinean authorities in March 2026.
Touré left Guinea after the September 2021 military coup that brought Mamadi Doumbouya to power and subsequently lived in Abidjan. His family chose Ivory Coast as the place of burial rather than Conakry.
Members of his political movement have attributed the decision partly to the conditions surrounding his years in exile. A representative of the UFR said a burial in Guinea was “inconceivable” because of what Touré had experienced under the Guinean authorities.
The Guinean government has said it respects the family’s decision. Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited Touré’s family in Conakry on Sept. 28 to convey condolences on behalf of the government and President Doumbouya, describing Touré as a former head of government and citizen of Guinea. He said the authorities would respect the family’s wishes regarding the burial.
Touré also had longstanding ties to Ivory Coast. Before becoming Guinea’s prime minister, he worked with Alassane Ouattara during Ouattara’s tenure as Ivory Coast’s prime minister in the early 1990s. He later maintained close personal ties with the Ivorian president during his years in exile.
His death marks the end of the political career of one of Guinea’s prominent opposition figures, who contested two presidential elections and remained active in national politics despite spending his final years outside the country.
The burial in Ivory Coast will allow Touré’s family, former political associates and supporters to pay their final respects in the country where he spent much of his later life. His funeral is also expected to draw members and supporters of the dissolved UFR from Guinea and the wider West African region.
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