Rampasan kuasa 1984 dan pemerintahan tentera

President Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinea's head of state since independence, died on 26 March 1984. Prime Minister Louis Lansana Beavogui acted as interim president. On 3 April, Conté led a military coup that toppled the government.

He denounced the Touré regime's human rights abuses and released 250 political prisoners. He also encouraged the return of approximately 200,000 Guineans from exile.

The country's constitution was immediately suspended after the takeover, along with the National Assembly, and political activity was banned. A 25-member Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN) was set up and led by Conté, who on 5 April was proclaimed President of the Republic.

On 4 July 1985, former Prime Minister Diarra Traoré, a colonel who took part in the 1984 coup, attempted to seize power while Conté was attending an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit in Lomé, Togo. Troops loyal to Conté swiftly gained control and approximately 100 military personnel, including Traoré, were later executed for their involvement in the rebellion. On 3 April 1990, Conté was promoted to the rank of Army General.

President Conté was also the Secretary General of the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, an Intergovernmental Organization based in Italy.(see and ).