Former Guinean prime minister and opposition leader Sidya Touré has died in Paris at the age of 81, according to sources close to his family.

Touré, who led the Union of Republican Forces (UFR), had been living in exile in Côte d’Ivoire since Guinea’s September 2021 military coup.

He was reportedly hospitalised at the American Hospital of Paris for about two weeks after falling ill in Abidjan.

The UFR was among 40 political parties dissolved by Guinea’s authorities in March as part of a wider political crackdown under President Mamady Doumbouya.

Touré served as Guinea’s prime minister from 1996 to 1999 under former president Lansana Conté. His tenure included administrative and economic reforms and efforts to strengthen relations with international financial institutions.

After leaving government, he became leader of the UFR in 2000 and emerged as a prominent opposition figure. He contested Guinea’s presidential elections in 2010 and 2015 but was unsuccessful on both occasions.

Born in 1945 in Côte d’Ivoire, Touré also held senior roles in the country’s economic and financial administration.

Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah paid tribute to Touré, describing him as a prominent figure in the country’s political life for three decades and a “pragmatic reformer”.

Touré’s death comes amid continued political tensions in Guinea, where several major opposition parties have been excluded from recent political processes.