
One of the key military figures convicted of crimes against humanity for his involvement in Guinea's 2009 stadium massacre has died in custody, authorities say.
Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité - also known as Toumba - died early on Wednesday in hospital following a medical emergency, the prison administration said.
He was serving a 10-year sentence for his role in one of the darkest episodes in Guinea's history in which more than 150 people were killed in the capital, Conakry, as they demanded an end to military rule. At least 109 women were also raped.
While in custody, Diakité remained a controversial figure, creating a political party and attempting to run for president.
Last year, he declared his intention to stand in the presidential elections, which was rejected by the Supreme Court after it ruled he was ineligible.
At the time of the massacre, Diakité was commander of the presidential guard and a close ally of Guinea's then military ruler, Moussa Dadis Camara.
According to the prison administration, Diakité was declared dead at the Samory Touré Military Hospital in Conakry, where he was taken late on Monday.
Citing his medical report, the administration said he presented symptoms characterised by gastric swelling, abdominal pain and constipation.
His death has prompted mixed reactions in Guinea where memories of the 2009 violence remain politically sensitive, with people still waiting for justice.
One political expert likened his death to "the end of an era", telling the BBC: "He died, but the full truth died with him."
Tens of thousands of people had gathered at a stadium on 28 September 2009 to protest against the possibility of Camara running for president.
On Camara's orders, security forces opened fire on the crowd. More than 150 people were killed and hundreds more injured.
According to judicial findings, at least 109 women and girls were also raped.
Camara survived a shot to the head shortly after the massacre, which was blamed on Diakité, according to the AFP news agency.
Diakité later fled the country and in December 2016, he was arrested in Senegal, where he was living under an assumed identity. A year later, he was extradited to Guinea.
After being shot, Camara spent 12 years in exile before returning to face justice. Following a 22-month trial, he and seven of his commanders were convicted in 2024.
Camara was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity, but pardoned in March last year by the current leader, Mamady Doumbouya - less than a year into his imprisonment - for health reasons.
His killing has underlined the unresolved tensions in Guinea's political landscape, where former military figures have continued to exert influence long after leaving power, and where the boundaries between justice, reconciliation and political ambition remain contested.
Guinea has experienced repeated periods of instability since independence, marked by military coups, contested elections and violent crackdowns on dissent.
Although the country has formally returned to civilian rule, efforts to address past abuses have been slow and, at times, deeply divisive.
In 2010 - shortly after the massacre - Alpha Condé won a presidential election. He was ousted in the country's most recent coup in 2021 by Doumbouya, who went on to win presidential elections last year.
Diakité's death raises fresh questions about the legacy of accountability and about the fate of those held responsible for one of the darkest episodes in Guinea's recent history.
More about Guinea from the BBC:
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC Africa podcasts
NEUESTE BEITRÄGE
- 1
3D Printers for Specialists06.06.2024 - 2
Doritos and Cheetos dial back the bright orange in new versions without artificial ingredients13.11.2025 - 3
Dozens injured in Russia after train crashes, overturns03.04.2026 - 4
Nitty gritty Manual for Picking Agreeable Tennis shoes05.06.2024 - 5
Surveys of 6 Hot Savvy Beds05.06.2024 - 6
Mars orbiter sees 'butterfly' crater spread its wings on the Red Planet05.12.2025 - 7
Ultra-Orthodox protests erupt across Israel on haredi IDF enlistment day04.01.2026 - 8
Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy price as CEO pledges to go 'all in' on weight loss pill17.11.2025 - 9
Medicine doesn’t just have ‘conscientious objectors’ − there are ‘conscientious providers,’ too15.11.2025 - 10
Vote in favor of your #1 Kind of Cap05.06.2024 - 11
Figure out How to Explore the Infotainment Framework in the Slam 1500.19.10.2023 - 12
5 Destinations Where Airfare Is Dropping The Most For Spring 2026, Per Dollar Flight Club Analysis31.03.2026 - 13
Blue Origin safely launches wheelchair user to space and back20.12.2025 - 14
'The Housemaid' movie with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried premieres this month. What the stars have said about the psychological thriller.04.12.2025 - 15
This Tiny Neon Frog Dwells in the Clouds11.12.2025
Ähnliche Artikel
Artemis 2 captures historic 'Earthset' photo | Space photo of the day for April 7, 202607.04.2026
Tesla Germany Registrations Quadruple to 9,252 Vehicles in Best March Ever07.04.2026
What's going on with Katseye? The Manon Bannerman hiatus drama, explained.07.04.2026
Two IDF officers, civilian face indictment in alleged Gaza aid-truck smuggling scheme07.04.2026
West Palm Beach Shorecrest, renderings of downtown waterfront condo07.04.2026
Artemis II astronauts make long-distance call to the space station as they head home from the moon07.04.2026
Tuesday, April 7. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine07.04.2026
The Eastern Bongo, Kenya’s Rare Forest Antelope on the Brink07.04.2026
U.K. blocks Kanye West from entering Britain to headline now canceled festival: What led to the ban07.04.2026
Russia confirms 16 Cameroonian soldiers killed in Ukraine war07.04.2026
First Phosphate advances battery-grade phosphate project as analysts highlight strategic Federal support07.04.2026
After fleeing past Hezbollah fighting, some Israelis on northern border vow to stay07.04.2026
'Unreal' solar eclipse: Artemis 2 crew just saw one of the rarest sights in spaceflight history07.04.2026
Chinese construction workers in Israel: 'I’d rather be bombed than live in poverty'07.04.2026
Broken toilet, T-shirts on windows and collecting saliva: The weirdness of daily life aboard Orion07.04.2026
Czech Republic caps fuel prices amid Iran war energy crisis07.04.2026
NASA releases stunning new images captured by the Artemis II moon mission, including 'Earthset' and a solar eclipse from space07.04.2026
Amid Iran war, 53 of Israel's future scientists showcase projects in Jerusalem contest07.04.2026
Iranian-linked drone attack kills Kurdish couple in northern Iraq07.04.2026
Thousands of small fish defy gravity to climb Congo waterfall07.04.2026

































