The 1996 Guinean coup attempt was the failed coup d'état in Guinea by dissident elements within the Guinean military against the Lansana Conte government. Originally a mutiny over a pay dispute, where around two thousand soldiers demanded higher pay and better benefits, it then escalated into an attempted military overthrow which nearly toppled the government.[1] By February 3, an agreement had been reached and state radio instructed soldiers to return to their units.[2][3]
The coup attempt reportedly began in the early hours of February 2 in the nation's capital - Conakry. During the twelve-hour-long clashes against the government forces,[4] the rebels seized control of the capital's deserted city center and continuously shelled the presidential palace, making it catch on fire.[2] The bloody clashes resulted in as many as forty deaths, mostly civilians.[4] Rebel forces also captured President Conte,[5] yet he was later freed after promising to raise soldiers' salaries.[6]
In the aftermath of the failed coup, around a hundred military personnel were arrested: forty were later released due to insufficient evidence while fifty-seven still remained in detention as of January 1998.[7] Commander Gbago Zoumanigul, A key figure in instigating the coup, fled the country to Libya, while another important leader - Lieutenant Lamine Diarra - was handed over to government authorities after trying to seek refuge in the Malian embassy of the capital.[7] Several top army officials implicated still remained at large, including Colonel Ibrahima Sory Diallo, Colonel Abdouramane Kaba, Sama Panival Bangoura, Mohammad Lamine Traore, and Oumah Soumah.[7]
