Ahmed Tidiane Souaré

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Ahmed Tidiane Souaré (born 1951^[1]) is a Guinean political figure who has been Prime Minister of Guinea since May 2008.^[1][2]

From 1989 to 1990, Souaré was a member of the monitoring committee for the implementation of economic, financial and administrative reforms at the Presidency of the Republic. He was then coordinator of the office for monitoring, evaluation, and control at the Presidency of the Republic from 1990 to 1994; he was also president of the committee for the importation of petroleum products, rapporteur of the state commission for the liquidation of ONAH-ASP, and vice-president of the technical committee on re-evaluation of state immovable assets (COTERI) at the Presidency of the Republic.^[1]

Souaré was head of the cabinet of the Ministry of Economic and Financial Control in charge of the economic and financial coordination committee of the government from 1994 to 1996, then head of the cabinet of the Ministry Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of budget and the restructuring of the parastatal sector from 1996 to 1997. Subsequently, from 1997 to 2002 he was head of the cabinet of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as Administrator-General of SOTELGUI and vice-president of the interministerial committee monitoring the oil sector. He was appointed as Inspector-General of Finances on January 2, 2002; subsequently he headed the administrative council of OPG and was administrator of GUINOMAR.^[1]

Souaré was appointed to the government as Minister of Mines and Geology on March 8, 2005,^[1][3][4] and while serving in that position he was also appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG).^[5] He was subsequently moved to the post of Minister of State for Higher Education and Scientific Research on May 29, 2006^[1][6] and served in that post until March 2007,^[7] when an entirely new government under Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté was appointed.^[8] Souaré was also President of the Guinean National Commission for UNESCO.^[9]

In an audit made under Kouyaté into the government's financial management in the previous ten years, Souaré's name was included in a list of officials who were considered to be associated with the mismanagement of resources.^[10]

In a decree read on state television on May 20, 2008, President Lansana Conté dismissed and appointed Souaré to replace him as Prime Minister.^[2][11][12] Souaré, a technocrat,^[13] was seen as being close to Conté, in contrast to Kouyaté, who had been appointed to appease striking trade unions in 2007 and had a difficult relationship with Conté,^[12] and Souaré's appointment was viewed as strengthening Conté's position. The opposition urged Souaré to invite the opposition to participate in his government, something that Kouyaté had not done.^[13]

Speaking at a news conference at his home on May 21, Souaré said that he intended to continue the changes initiated under Kouyaté and "bring reconciliation to Guineans"; he also said that he wanted "to restore authority to the state because we're in a state of disarray."^[12] Expressing surprise at his appointment, he said that he planned to improve social services and stressed the need to "reinforce unity in Guinea and restore people's confidence in government".^[8] Also on that day, Souaré met with Conté, who told him "to set to work and fulfil the needs of the population".^[7]

On May 22, Ibrahima Fofana, the leader of the United Trade Union of Guinean Workers, described Souaré's appointment as "a flagrant violation of the February 2007 agreement", which had led to the end of a general strike and the appointment of Kouyaté. He said that the groups involved in selecting the composition of Kouyaté's government had not been consulted about Souaré's appointment and that Souaré did "not fit the profile we agreed to in February 2007". According to Fofana, Souaré "re-appeared completely out of the blue", and he expressed surprise and dismay at Conté's selection of a Prime Minister from "the old guard". Unions also described Souaré as "incompetent", referring to his inclusion in the audit made under Kouyaté, and they claimed that the country's relations with international financial institutions had been "seriously compromise[d]" by Conté's appointment of Souaré. Despite this, the unions refrained from calling for a strike. They were believed by some to have been significantly weakened since they forced the appointment of Kouyaté through the 2007 strike.^[10]

Souaré was installed as Prime Minister at a ceremony in Conakry on May 23 by Sam Mamady Soumah, the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, in the absence of both Conté and Kouyaté.^[14][15][16] Speaking on this occasion, he said that he would "undertake large structural reforms, which will take into account the great changes within our society and in the world, but also the aspirations of the Guinean people".^[15]

Almost immediately, Souaré faced a crisis when violence erupted among soldiers demanding payment of wage arrears on May 26. During this violence, soldiers fired into the air, and General Mamadou Sampil, the deputy chief of staff of the army, was taken prisoner by the soldiers at the Alfa Yaya Diallo military base when he went to talk to them.^[17][18]

In response to the unrest, Souaré's government promised to pay the soldiers.^[17][18] Speaking on television on May 27,^[17][19] Souaré called for calm, noting that the government had agreed to meet most of the soldiers' demands.^[19] He said that up to five million Guinean francs would be paid to each soldier^[17] to account for wage arrears, which in some cases dated back to 1996;^[17][19] additionally, he assured the soldiers that they would not face punishment and said that soldiers who had been arrested in connection with 2007 unrest would be freed.^[17] Regarding the soldiers' demand that the price of rice be subsidized, he said that the government would try to improve the army's living conditions.^[19]

Despite Souaré's assurances, violence escalated on May 28, with soldiers engaging in looting in Conakry and continuing to fire into the air.^[20] The soldiers began receiving their backpay on May 30, and Conakry was reportedly calm by May 31.^[21]

Souaré met with representatives of political parties of both the presidential majority and the opposition on May 28 to discuss the formation of a national unity government. The opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) and the Union for the Progress of Guinea (UPG) expressed their willingness to work with the government; however, another opposition party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), chose not to attend the meeting. The RPG said that positive change would not come as long as Conté remained in power, regardless of who was Prime Minister, and it refused to participate in Souaré's government.^[22]

Souaré's government was appointed by Conté on June 19, 2008.^[23][24] The government, which included 34 ministers and two secretaries-general, had members of Conté's party, the Party of Unity and Progress (PUP), filling some key posts. It also included three opposition parties—the UFDG, the UPG, and the Union for Progress and Renewal (UPR)—each holding one position in the government. The RPG and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) were not included.^[24] Ten members of Souaré's government had been members of Kouyaté's government.^[23][25] With 36 members, it was markedly larger than Kouyaté's 22-member government. Four women were included in Souaré's government.^[25]

Despite fears by some that Souaré's government would include many former ministers who had served in the government before Kouyaté took office, this did not occur, and the general reaction to the government's composition was reportedly positive.^[25]

In early July, Souaré toured Conakry and spoke to the people, promising to improve their situation with regard to food, water and electricity; he also said that his government would focus on reducing unemployment among young people.^[26]

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v • d • e Heads of government of Guinea Colonial: Ahmed Sékou Touré • Independent: post abolished, 1958-72 • Beavogui • Traoré • post abolished, 1984-96  • Sidya Touré  • Sidimé  • Fall  • vacant, April-December 2004  • Diallo  • vacant, 2006-07  • Camara  • Kouyaté  • Souaré