General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sékouba Konaté ( nqo, ߛߋߞߎߓߊ ߞߏ߬ߣߊ߬ߕߋ; born 6 June 1964) is an officer of the

Guinean army The Guinean Armed Forces (french: Forces armées guinéennes) are the armed forces of Guinea. They are responsible for the territorial security of Guinea's border and the defence of the country against external attack and aggression. Guinea's ar ...

who formerly served as the vice president of its military junta, the

National Council for Democracy and Development The National Council for Democracy and Development (french: Conseil national pour la démocratie et le développement, CNDD) was the ruling junta of Guinea from 2008 to 2010. Historical background The CNDD seized power in the 2008 Guinean coup ...

. After attending military academy, he received the nickname "El Tigre" for his action in battle, and gained such popularity with the people he was favored to be president of the government. However, he was appointed vice president; but took control of the country when the president was shot in December 2009.

Life

Konaté was born in

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 ...

in 1964 to

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Mandingo (play)'', a play by Jack Kir ...

parents. He attended the Académie Militaire Royale in the Moroccan city of

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

, graduating in 1990. He suffers from an unknown physical illness, possibly of his liver.

Military career

For his military prowess in combat, Konaté was nicknamed "El Tigre". He was trained as a parachutist, and fought in many battles in the

RFDG Insurgency The RFDG Insurgency was an insurgency in Guinea by the RFDG, a rebel group supported by Liberia and the Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean rebel group Revolutionary United Front, RUF. The fighting was closely connected to the Second Liberian Civil War ...

during 2000–2001. Because of his reputation as a soldier, many people supported him to be the junta leader: he is still popular with the people. In October 2021, he was retired from the army.

Political career

Guinea's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, Lansana Conté, died after a long illness in December 2008. The day afterwards, Moussa Camara, a military captain, stepped forward and declared Guinea to be under junta rule, with himself as the head. Konaté demanded that he be considered to rule the junta, and Camara and him drew lots to determine who would be president. After drawing twice, due to accusations of Camara cheating, Konaté was made the vice president. He was also made the minister of defense. On 3 December 2009, Camara was shot in an attempted assassination by his aide-de-camp,

Aboubacar Diakité Abū Bakr ( ar, أبو بكر ) is an Arabic given name meaning "Father of a Young Camel" (Abu meaning 'Father of' and Bakr meaning 'Young Camel') that is widely used by Sunni Muslims. Other transliterations include Abu Bakar, Abu Bekr, Ebubekir, ...

. While he was airlifted to Morocco for treatment, Konaté was placed in charge of the country. With Camara still in rehabilitation, the United States government has expressed its desire to see Camara kept out of Guinea. Konaté was appointed head of the transition regime tasked with the preparation of the 2010 presidential election. Because: "All of Camara’s actions were ill concealed attempts to take over… we’re not getting that same sense from Konate,” according to the

United States Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state. The current deputy secretary of state is Wendy Ruth Sherman, serving since April 2021 under United States Secre ...

William Fitzgerald. In 2010, Konaté organized democratic elections, which were won by Alpha Condé. Following the transition of power, Konaté was appointed as the head of the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

's military force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konate, Sekouba 1964 births Living people Presidents of Guinea Leaders who took power by coup Guinean military personnel People from Conakry People of Mandinka descent 21st-century Guinean politicians