Authoritarian regimes

Things About Guinea You Should Know is that Guinea is an Authoritarian regime country. Guinea gained independence from France in 1958, becoming Africa's first Marxist state under President Ahmed Sekou Toure, who governed for 25 years. According to rights groups, his dictatorship is responsible for the deaths or disappearances of 50,000 individuals, as well as the exile of hundreds of thousands more. Lansana Conte, a soldier, took over days after his death in 1984 and stayed in authority until his death 24 years later. Although multi-party governance was established in 1990, elections were largely perceived to be manipulated. Conte died in 2008, following an illness. The country was thrown into anarchy when another military coup brought Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to power.

Security forces opened fire on protestors assembled at the capital's largest stadium to oppose Camara's government in 2009. According to the UN, 157 people were killed and 109 women were raped during the brutal operation, and hundreds were injured. Camara survived a gunshot wound to the head and was removed from government, clearing the door for a democratic transition.