2008 Guinean coup d ' état The 2008 Guinean coup d ' état was a Guinean military " coup d ' état " that occurred in Guinea on 23 December 2008 , shortly after the death of long - time President Lansana Conté . A junta called the National Council for Democracy and Development ( " Conseil National de la Démocratie et du Development " , CNDD ) , headed by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara , seized power and announced that it planned to rule the country for two years prior to a new presidential election . Camara did indeed step down after Alpha Condé was elected in the 2010 election . Death of Conté . In the early hours of 23 December 2008 , Aboubacar Somparé , the President of the National Assembly , announced on television that Conté had died at 6 : 45 pm local time the previous day " after a long illness . " While Somparé did not name the particular illness , sources reported that Conté had chronic diabetes and leukemia . According to the Constitution , the President of the National Assembly is to assume the Presidency in the event of a vacancy , and a new presidential election is to be held within 60 days . Somparé requested that the President of the Supreme Court , Lamine Sidimé , declare a vacancy in the Presidency and apply the Constitution . Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souaré and General Diarra Camara , the head of the army , stood alongside Somparé during his announcement . Declaring 40 days of national mourning for Conté , Souaré urged " calm and restraint " . He told the army to secure the borders and maintain calm within the country " in homage to the memory of the illustrious late leader " . Government officials met at the People ' s Palace , seat of the National Assembly , in the early hours of 23 December . Prime Minister Souaré , Somparé , the President of the Supreme Court , and military leaders were present . Speaking to Radio France Internationale after Conté ' s death , opposition leader Jean - Marie Doré of the Union for the Progress of Guinea stressed that the institutions of state must " be able to work to prevent unnecessary disorder in Guinea which would add to the current difficult situation " . Announcement of coup d ' état . Six hours after Somparé announced Conté ' s death , a statement was read on state radio announcing a military coup d ' état . This statement , read by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara on behalf of a group called the National Council for Democracy and Development ( CNDD ) , said that " the government and the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved . " The statement also announced the suspension of the constitution " as well as political and union activity . " According to Captain Camara , the coup was necessary due to Guinea ' s " deep despair " amidst rampant poverty and corruption , and he said that the existing institutions were " incapable of resolving the crises which have been confronting the country . " Furthermore , Camara said that someone from the military would become President , while a civilian would be appointed as Prime Minister at the head of a new government that would be ethnically balanced . The National Council for Democracy and Development would , according to Camara , include 26 officers as well as six civilians . Reporting from Conakry at the time of the coup announcement , Alhassan Sillah of the BBC said that the situation in the city was " unusually quiet " and that he had not seen any soldiers . Later in the day , several tanks were seen in the city . Following Camara ' s announcement , Souaré said the government and state institutions were intact . According to Souaré , he did not know who was behind the coup attempt , but he said that he was " sure that they will see reason . They have not used force . There has been no threat against anybody . " Somparé , meanwhile , called the coup attempt " a setback for our country " and expressed hope that it would not succeed . He argued that most soldiers were still loyal to the government . It was reported that soldiers at the Alfa Yaya Diallo military camp had chosen a lieutenant - colonel , Sékouba Konaté , as leader of the coup attempt , although some soldiers objected because they believed a higher - ranking officer should have been chosen . The chief of the armed forces , General Diarra Camara , said that the coup plotters represented only a minority of the army . In the afternoon of 23 December , amidst confusion about who was in control of the country , Gen . Camara asked that the soldiers " at least wait until after [ Conté ' s ] funeral " , while also stating that he was not trying to prevent anyone ' s ambitions . On 23 December , both the office of the Prime Minister and the Little Palace , Conté ' s former residence , were reported to be under the control of the coup leaders . According to Somparé , the leaders of the coup held a meeting to choose an interim leader for the country late on 23 December ; he said that Moussa Camara , Sékouba Konaté , and Toto Camara were considered candidates for the position . The composition of the CNDD was announced late on 23 December ; it included 32 members , 26 of whom were officers and six of whom were civilians . In an interview with Guineenews on 23 December , opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo said that he believed the constitution should be respected , while also saying that he believed a new presidential election should be held together with the already planned parliamentary election on 31 May 2009 . Consolidation of CNDD authority . A statement was read over the radio on 24 December announcing that Captain Moussa Dadis Camara was the President of the CNDD . Later in the day , Camara and thousands of soldiers loyal to him paraded through the city , surrounded by large numbers of civilian supporters . According to Camara , he " came to see if the terrain is favorable to us " , declaring that the large crowds indicated that the people were indeed supportive of the coup . Also on 24 December , Camara said in a radio broadcast that the CNDD did not want to stay in power indefinitely and that it intended to lead the country for two years , promising " credible and transparent presidential elections by the end of December 2010 " . This contradicted an earlier statement promising an election within the constitutionally mandated period of 60 days . The CNDD declared an 8 pm to 6 : 30 am nation - wide curfew , although it said that the curfew would not be implemented until 26 December to avoid interfering with the Christian celebration of Christmas . The extent of the CNDD ' s control remained unclear on 24 December ; although Prime Minister Souaré had gone into hiding , he insisted that the government had not been toppled . Souaré described Camara as " an unknown captain [ who ] doesn ' t control the army " and argued again that most troops were loyal , while attributing the " disorder " to " one little group " . Shortly after the CNDD ordered all members of the government and army officers to go to the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp within 24 hours , with the threat of " a sweep of the entire national territory " if they did not . Prime Minister Souaré went to the camp and turned himself in on 25 December , together with all the members of his government except for two ministers who were , according to Souaré , on official missions abroad . Camara met with Souaré and stressed that the CNDD was now in power , but he said that Souaré and his government could " go back to business " . During the meeting , Souaré lamented the death of Conté and expressed his government ' s willingness to serve under the CNDD , pointing out that his government was composed of technocrats , not politicians . He also addressed Camara as " President " . Speaking on the radio on 25 December , Camara said that he did not plan to run for President at the end of the two year transitional period . He also declared that the CNDD was not susceptible to bribes . According to Camara , people had " start [ ed ] to show up with bags of money to try to corrupt us . They ' ve tried to give money to our wives and cars to our children . " He warned that he would " personally go after anyone who tries to corrupt us " . Camara also said that Conté ' s funeral on 26 December ( several days late ) would be " grandiose " , and he expressed disapproval in describing the lack of proper care for Conté ' s body . Conté ' s funeral was held on 26 December , with over 20 , 000 in attendance at the national stadium in Conakry . Leaders of neighboring countries were present for the funeral , although Camara was not . General Mamadouba Toto Camara of the CNDD said at the funeral that " we pray God to give us the courage to continue [ Conté ' s ] work of tolerance and peace for the welfare of Guinea " . He was then taken to his hometown of Moussayah for burial . Camara held a large " informational meeting " at the Alfa Yaya Diallo military base on 27 December ; about 1 , 000 people representing various groups were present , including Somparé , the key opposition leaders Alpha Condé and Sidya Touré , and the trade union leader Rabiatou Serah Diallo . At the meeting , Camara discussed his plans to renegotiate mining contracts and fight corruption . He said that all gold mining had already been halted for the time being . Camara also told the opposition and union leaders that they could propose a Prime Minister . Condé said on that occasion that the members of the CNDD junta were " patriots " , and his party , the Rally of the Guinean People ( RPG ) , subsequently expressed its willingness to participate in a government under the CNDD . Sidya Touré gave a positive assessment of the situation and said that " we will discuss the program and timetable for the transition and we will ensure that the military keep their promises . " Although the CNDD ' s curfew was enforced on 26 December , the junta decided to lift the curfew beginning on 27 December in order to encourage " a climate of peace " . At around the same time , AFP reported the retirement of 22 senior military officers who had reached retirement age . The retired officers included General Diarra Camara , the army ' s chief of staff , who opposed the coup . Two officers were appointed to key positions on 28 December : Captain Kelety Faro as Minister Secretary - General at the Presidency and General Mamadouba Toto Camara as Minister of Security and Civil Protection . Also , Sékouba Konaté was appointed as Minister of Defense . On 29 December , soldiers forcefully entered the compound of Mamadou Sylla — a wealthy businessman who had been an ally and close personal friend of Lansana Conté — and told Sylla to relinquish the keys to six SUV vehicles that they said were owned by the state . Sylla did so , but he complained that force was not necessary and said that the vehicles had been part of a contract between his company and the military . The CNDD appointed Kabine Komara , a banker working in Egypt at the African Export - Import Bank , as Prime Minister on 30 December 2008 . In a television speech on 1 January 2009 , Camara said that the coup had prevented Guinea from " tumbling into ethnic warfare " . According to Camara , Somparé was not a legitimate constitutional successor because his mandate as President of the National Assembly had legally expired , and he said that if Somparé had taken office , there would have been " incalculable consequences " . About 20 soldiers searched the home of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo on 1 January , while holding Diallo and his family at gunpoint . According to Diallo , the search was based on suspicions that Diallo had weapons and mercenaries and was planning another coup , but he said that the soldiers did not take anything from his home . A junta delegation met with Diallo on 2 January and condemned the search , saying that " uncontrollable elements out to hurt the junta " were to blame and that Camara and the CNDD had nothing to do with it . On 5 January 2009 , Camara stated that both legislative and presidential elections would be held by the end of 2009 , a year earlier than originally announced . Camara , acting on the recommendation of Prime Minister Komara , appointed a new government on 14 January 2009 . The government was composed of soldiers and technocrats and did not include any political parties . The government included 27 ministers and two secretaries of state . Colonel Aboubacar Sidiki Camara was sworn in as Permanent Secretary to the CNDD on 26 January 2009 . Contrary to the wishes of CNDD President Camara , he was unwilling to postpone his swearing in , and he also requested the release of officers who were closely associated with Conté . He was promptly arrested later on 26 January ; CNDD member Biro Condé was also reportedly arrested at that time . CNDD President Camara said on 27 January that Aboubacar Sidiki Camara had been dismissed from his post as Permanent Secretary due to negligence . He was released from detention on 28 January .