Alpha Oumar Barry (1925–1977) was a

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

n politician, a member of the cabinet of President

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; 9 January 1922 – 26 March 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who was the first president of Guinea from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was among the primary ...

in the first Guinean republic, who was later arrested and died at

Camp Boiro Camp Boiro or Camp Mamadou Boiro (1960–1984) is a defunct Guinean concentration camp in the city of Conakry. During the regime of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, thousands of political opponents were imprisoned at the camp. It has been estimated t ...

. Alpha Oumar was born in 1925, and trained as a doctor in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He was appointed chief medical officer in

Kindia Kindia ( N’ko: ߞߌ߲ߘߌߦߊ߫) is the fourth largest city in Guinea, located about northeast of the nation's capital, Conakry. Its estimated population in 2008 was 181,126. Kindia serves as the capital and largest city of Kindia Prefecture ...

. Alpha Oumar was appointed minister of state for Exchange in the cabinet announced on 19 June 1972. He was also a member of the political bureau of the

Democratic Party of Guinea Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

(PDG). At a press conference on 2 August 1976, Sekou Toure announced the arrest in

Conakry Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973. The current population of C ...

of several plotters, including Telli Diallo, Alpha Oumar Barry,

Lamine Kouyaté Lamine is a given name and a surname, a local form of Al-Amin (a title given to the prophet Muhammad which means "the Trustworthy"). Notable people with the name include: First name * Lamine Ba (footballer, born 1997) (born 1997), French-born ...

and

Alioune Dramé Alioune Dramé (born c. 1921 – died 1 March 1977) was a Guinean economist and politician. He also served as an ambassador to Ivory Coast. Career Dramé served in the first council of the Politburo of the First Republic of Guinea as Ministry ...

. Both Alpha Oumar and Alioune Dramé had been childhood friends of Telli Diallo. After his arrest, the camp commandant

Siaka Touré Siaka Touré (1935–1985) was the commandant of Camp Boiro in Conakry, Guinea during the regime of Guinean President Ahmed Sékou Touré. During this period, many of the president's political opponents died in the camp. Biography Siaka Touré ...

transmitted a series of messages to Alpha Oumar from President Touré demanding that he confess to being a plotter to save the face of the revolution. Eventually Alpha Oumar gave in and made a confession. On 12 February 1977, Alpha Oumar and others were placed on a "black diet", meaning they were deprived of food and water. He died on 26 February 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Alpha Oumar Guinean politicians Executed politicians Executed Guinean people 20th-century executions by Guinea People executed by starvation Guinean physicians 1926 births 1977 deaths 20th-century physicians