Career
Barry hailed from an aristocratic family of the Seeriyaabhe clan. A graduate of École normale supérieure William Ponty, Barry became a lawyer in France. Barry counted on strong support from the people and administration in the Fouta Jallon region in northern Guinea.
In particular, he represented the younger educated generation of the elite sectors of Fula society.
Barry was also a freemason. Barry was the DSG candidate in the 1954 legislative by-election.
He obtained 16,098 votes (63% of the vote in Guinea). Ahead of the 1956 election, the Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) offered Barry to be one of their three candidates for the legislative election (along with Sékou Touré).
Barry III, however, rejected the offer.
In the same year, Barry III stood as candidate for mayor of Conakry (in which he was defeated by Sékou Touré). In the first government of independent Guinea, Barry was included as a minister. After the merger of DSG into the African Regroupment Party (PRA), Barry became the general secretary of the Guinean branch of PRA. Barry was arrested in December 1970.
He was held prisoner at Camp Alpha Yahya.
On January 25, 1971 he was hanged in public at Tombo Bridge in Conakry. Barry III was sometimes nicknamed Syliyoré (Susu for "Little Elephant"), a reference to the similarities between his political programme and that of Sékou Touré (who was commonly nicknamed Syli, "Elephant").
