Gunmen stormed the main prison in Guinea’s capital early Saturday and freed former dictator Moussa “Dadis” Camara, according to the country’s justice minister, who announced the closure of the West African nation’s borders.
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Justice Minister Charles Alphonse Wright’s announcement came several hours after intense gunfire in the Kaloum district of the capital, Conakry, which is home to the presidential palace and other administrative buildings, as well as the prison where he was held. Moussa Dadis Camara.
In addition, military vehicles and special forces were seen on the streets of the Guinean capital.
Guinean Justice Minister Charles Wright also stated on radio that Moussa Dadis Camara had been released from prison along with three of his former high-ranking officers. Among the escapees are Claude Pivi and Blaise Goumou, according to Wright.
We will find them. And those responsible will be held accountable, Wright told local radio station Radio Fim FM.
Camara, who came to power in a coup in 2008, had been arrested in connection with a stadium massacre during his brief stay in power. He had lived in exile for years after surviving an assassination attempt, before returning to his country at the end of 2021.
He is also one of more than a dozen suspects charged in connection with the 2009 massacre, when Guinean security forces shot peaceful demonstrators protesting against his intention to run in the presidential election after seizing power. At least 157 people were killed, according to human rights groups.
For years, the Guinean government had tried to prevent Camara’s return from exile in Burkina Faso, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup d’état in September 2021 put in power a Guinean military junta more favorable to the return of Camara, which has been led by Mamadi Doumbouya, for three years.
I learned that there had been an escape from the civil prison in Conakry, which affected my client Moussa Dadis Camara, said his lawyer Jocamey Haba. He raised the possibility that his client was kidnapped against his will.
With AFP, AP and Reuters
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