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1996 Guinean coup attempt

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1996 Guinean coup attempt
DateFebruary 2 - February 3
Location
Result Failed coup attempt; government retains control
Belligerents
Guinea Republic of Guinea Armed Forces Guinea Dissenting faction of the armed forces
Commanders and leaders
Guinea Lansana Conte Guinea Gbago Zoumanigul
Guinea Lt. Lamine Diarra
Strength
Unknown 2000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
20-40 deaths

The 1996 Guinean coup attempt was the failed coup d'état in Guinea by dissident elements within the Guinean military against the Lansana Conte government. Originally a mutiny over a pay dispute, where around two thousand soldiers demanded higher pay and better benefits, it then escalated into an attempted military overthrow which nearly toppled the government.[1] By February 3, an agreement had been reached and state radio instructed soldiers to return to their units.[2][3]

The coup attempt reportedly began in the early hours of February 2 in the nation's capital - Conakry. During the twelve-hour-long clashes against the government forces,[4] the rebels seized control of the capital's deserted city center and continuously shelled the presidential palace, making it catch on fire.[2] The bloody clashes resulted in as many as forty deaths, mostly civilians.[4] Rebel forces also captured President Conte,[5] yet he was later freed after promising to raise soldiers' salaries.[6]

In the aftermath of the failed coup, around a hundred military personnel were arrested: forty were later released due to insufficient evidence while fifty-seven still remained in detention as of January 1998.[7] Commander Gbago Zoumanigul, A key figure in instigating the coup, fled the country to Libya, while another important leader - Lieutenant Lamine Diarra - was handed over to government authorities after trying to seek refuge in the Malian embassy of the capital.[7] Several top army officials implicated still remained at large, including Colonel Ibrahima Sory Diallo, Colonel Abdouramane Kaba, Sama Panival Bangoura, Mohammad Lamine Traore, and Oumah Soumah.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Guinea Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996".
  2. ^ a b "COUP APPARENTLY HALTED IN CAPITAL OF GUINEA". February 3, 1996.
  3. ^ "World News Briefs;Mutiny in Guinea Reportedly Resolved". The New York Times. 1996-02-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  4. ^ a b "MUTINOUS SOLDIERS IN GUINEA CALLED FOR PEACE TALKS". Chicago Tribune. 1996-02-04. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  5. ^ "Guinea's history of strongman rule".
  6. ^ "Military Group Claims to Have Taken Power in Guinea". Voice of America. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  7. ^ a b c "UNHCR Web Archive". webarchive.archive.unhcr.org. Retrieved 2024-05-25.