Ahmed Tidiane Souaré (born 1951[1]) is a Guinean political figure who was the Prime Minister of Guinea from May 2008[1][2] to December 2008, when he was replaced by Kabine Komara following a military coup d'état.
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.
[9] In an audit made under Kouyaté into the government's financial management during the previous ten years, Souaré's name was included on 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 Kouyaté and appointed Souaré to replace him as Prime Minister.
"[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".
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".
[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".
[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 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.
[26] In early August, it was reported that Souaré planned to establish a Minimum Emergency Programme, which was designed to improve security, services, and youth employment, reduce food prices, and repair infrastructure.
[27] In the early hours of 23 December 2008, Aboubacar Somparé, the President of the National Assembly, announced on television that Conté had died on the previous day "after a long illness.
[33] This statement, read by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara[33][35] on behalf of a group called the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD),[33] said that "the government and the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved."
"[33][35] According to Captain Camara, the coup was necessary due to Guinea's "deep despair" amidst rampant poverty and corruption, and he said that the existing institutions were "incapable of resolving the crises which have been confronting the country.
According to an official audit committee, the four of them were guilty of embezzlement during their tenures at the head of the Ministry of Mines and they collectively owed the government about 5.3 million in US dollars; Souaré was accused of stealing nearly half of the total.