2008 — Guinea's 2008 Coup

On December 23, 2008, hours after Guinea announced the death of President Lansana Conté, soldiers seized power in Conakry. Captain Moussa Dadis Camara's junta, the National Council for Democracy and Development, dissolved the government, suspended the constitution, and promised a transition to elections — a pledge made as the normal order was swept aside.

The promise did not hold the peace. Camara's rule turned violent: a year later his forces killed over 150 protesters. And the reckoning reached across the years — in 2024, Camara was convicted of crimes against humanity. Guinea's coup day thus carries two stories: a transition promised in December 2008, and a judgment delivered sixteen years later for what followed.