Gambiaj.com – (CONAKRY, Guinea) – Guinean prison authorities have announced the death of former military officer Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité, widely known as “Toumba,” only hours after his family publicly demanded proof that he was alive following reports of his hospitalization.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the National Directorate of Penitentiary Administration and Reintegration said the former aide-de-camp to ex-junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara died at 04:35 a.m. on March 25, 2026, after what it described as a rapid deterioration in his health.
Authorities said Diakité fell ill during the night of March 23 while in detention and was immediately evacuated to the military hospital at Camp Almamy Samory Touré in Conakry, where he was treated by a specialized medical team.
According to the official account, doctors diagnosed him with a severe clinical condition involving a strangulated abdominal hernia complicated by acute generalized peritonitis. Despite emergency medical care, officials said his condition worsened, and he died in the hospital.
The prison administration said a detailed report on the circumstances surrounding his death would be transmitted to judicial authorities in accordance with legal procedures.
Toumba’s Family Had Demanded Proof of Life
The announcement came shortly after Diakité’s family, speaking from Paris, publicly expressed alarm over the circumstances of his hospitalization and called for immediate proof that he was alive.
In a statement released after Guinean prosecutors first reported that the detainee had suffered a medical emergency in his prison cell, the family said it had serious doubts about the official version of events and demanded independent verification of his condition.
Relatives said no lawyers, independent doctors, or family members had been granted access to him after authorities announced his transfer to the hospital.
The family described the lack of access as “unacceptable” and warned that the absence of transparency raised fears about his safety.
Concerns Over Health and Detention Conditions
Lawyers for the former officer had previously warned that Diakité was suffering from an advanced hernia and required urgent medical attention.
According to his relatives, a medical team that examined him in Coyah prison had recommended his transfer to a properly equipped facility, noting that the prison lacked a functioning infirmary.
They claim those recommendations were not implemented promptly, potentially worsening his condition.
The family had also raised questions about his transfer in February 2026 from Conakry’s central prison to the facility in Coyah, saying it was carried out without a formal legal order despite an ongoing judicial procedure and an expected decision scheduled for March 24.
Calls for International Attention
Before the announcement of his death, the family had appealed to international organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States, urging them to intervene and ensure transparency.
They argued that detainees are entitled to adequate medical care and protection of life under international standards, including the United Nations’ “Nelson Mandela Rules” on the treatment of prisoners.
Diakité, a central figure in one of Guinea’s most prominent political trials, had been serving a prison sentence related to events during the rule of the former military junta.
His death is likely to intensify scrutiny over prison conditions, transparency in detention cases, and the handling of high-profile prisoners in Guinea.
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