Louis Lansana Beavogui ( nqo, ߟߊ߲߭ߛߌ߬ߣߍ߬ ߓߌߦߊߝ߭ߏߜ߭ߌ߫; 28 December 1923 – 19 August 1984) was a

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

n politician. He was

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

from 1972 to 1984 and was briefly

interim President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...

in 1984.

Background and political career

Beavogui, a member of the Toma ethnic group,Thomas O'Toole and Janice E. Baker, ''Historical Dictionary of Guinea'' (4th edition, 2005), Scarecrow Press, page lxiv. was born in

Macenta Geography Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea is located in the Guinea Highlands (at ) on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou. The Nianda River joins the Makonda River near Macenta. Macenta is also loca ...

, located in southern Guinea. He was trained as a medical doctor at the School of Medicine and Pharmacy in the

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

ese city of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

to become a medic. He first worked as an assistant medical officer in

Guéckédou Guéckédou or Guékédou is a town in southern Guinea near the Sierra Leone and Liberian borders. It had a population of 79,140 in 1996 (census) but has grown massively since the civil wars and, , it is estimated to be 221,715. It was a centre o ...

and then as a medical officer in

Kissidougou Kissidougou ( N’ko: ߞߛߌ߬ߘߎ߯; pronounced like Kiss-eh-dow-goo) is a city in southern Guinea. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia during the fall and winter of ...

. His political career began in 1953 as a town councillor. He was elected as Mayor of

when he was 31 years old in 1954, and elected to the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

in January 1956 as one of three deputies representing

French Guinea French Guinea (french: Guinée française) was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the current independent nation of Guinea. French Guinea was established by France in 1891, ...

. Under President

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; January 9, 1922 – March 26, 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who became the first president of Guinea, serving from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was am ...

, Beavogui was appointed to the government as Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning when Guinea gained its independence in 1958, and he was appointed as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

in 1961. After the Guinean government allowed

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

, the ousted President of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, to live in exile in Guinea, the authorities in Ghana detained Beavogui at the airport in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

while he was on his way to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

for a conference of the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

in October 1966. He remained Foreign Minister until May 1969, when he was moved back to his position as Minister of Economic Affairs.''Historical Dictionary of Guinea'', page 28. At the end of the Ninth Congress of the ruling

Democratic Party of Guinea Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

(PDG) on 25 April 1972, President Touré said that Beavogui would become Prime Minister; that position had not previously existed. Beavogui served as Prime Minister from 26 April 1972 to 3 April 1984.

Interim presidency and military coup

Touré died on 26 March 1984. Per the Constitution, Beavogui became interim president. A week later, on 3 April, the PDG's Politburo was due to select a new leader. Beavogui, a close friend of Touré, was widely expected to succeed him. Under the Constitution, since the PDG was the sole legally permitted party, the newly elected leader would have been automatically elected to a seven-year term as president, and would have been confirmed in office via a referendum the following spring. Thus, had Beavogui been elected as the PDG's leader, he would have been all but assured of becoming president in his own right. During his brief presidency, he said goodbye to his predecessor at his funeral. Lansana Beavogi spoke at a mourning rally at the Palais du Peuple on March 28, met with many delegations who arrived for the funeral at the airport, read a farewell speech at Sékou Touré's funeral on March 30. However, hours before the meeting was to begin, Colonel

Lansana Conté Lansana Conté (30 November 1934 – 22 December 2008

and Lieutenant Colonel

Diarra Traoré Diarra Traoré (1935 – 8 July 1985) was a Guinean soldier and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Guinea briefly in 1984 as a member of a junta led by Lansana Conté. In 1985, after Traoré attempted a coup d'état against President C ...

led a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

which toppled the government. The PDG was dissolved, and the Constitution was suspended. Following the coup, Beavogui was imprisoned in

Kindia Kindia ( N’ko: ߞߌ߲ߘߌߦߊ߫) is the fourth largest city in Guinea, lying about 85 miles northeast of the nation's capital, Conakry. Its estimated population in 2008 was 181,126. Kindia serves as the capital and largest city of Kindia Prefe ...

prison until being taken to

Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

for medical treatment."Jul 1985 - Government changes - Foreign and economic policy of military government - Release of detained members of former regime - Attempted coup"
''Keesing's Record of World Events'', Volume 31, July, 1985 Guinea, Page 33709. He died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

''West Africa Annual''
(13th edition, 1996), page 188. while hospitalized in Conakry in August 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beavogui, Louis Lansana 1923 births 1984 deaths Presidents of Guinea Prime Ministers of Guinea Foreign Ministers of Guinea Economy ministers of Guinea Members of the National Assembly (France) Mayors of places in Guinea Guinean diplomats Leaders ousted by a coup Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Democratic Party of Guinea – African Democratic Rally politicians People from Nzérékoré Region Deaths from diabetes Guinean expatriates in Senegal Heads of government who were later imprisoned

Background and political career

Interim presidency and military coup

See also

References