Touré, Sékou

Touré, (Ahmed) Sékou

(born Jan. 9, 1922, Faranah, French Guinea—died March 26, 1984, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.) First president of Guinea (1958–84) and a leading African politician. Touré, who claimed to be descended from Samory, helped lead Guinea's campaign for independence in 1958. He actively supported Kwame Nkrumah's program for African unity and gave Nkrumah asylum when he was deposed in 1966. A member of the Organization of African Unity (now African Union), he was viewed internationally as a moderate Islamic leader. After an unsuccessful invasion from neighbouring Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) in 1971, he imposed harsh domestic measures and ruled with an iron hand.