Defence minister takes control of Guinea after coup leader shot
The dangerous tensions in Guinea are ever more apparent after an aide shot coup leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara in the head during an assassination attempt. Camara, who took over from long-time dictator Lansana Conte in December, survived after being flown to a military hospital in Morocco. But he won’t be home for while. In the meantime, defence minister Sekouba Konate, has taken control of the world's top exporter of bauxite, used in aluminium processing. In September, troops in the military government killed nearly 200 people during a mass rally against Camara’s decision to run for president in elections scheduled for early 2010. They also ran amok, beating civilians and raping women by the score. The aide who allegedly shot Camara remains on the run. None of this has stopped the Chinese from signing a $7 billion mining deal with the country, shortly after the African Union, US and EU slapped sanctions on the regime. Read more: Reuters, BBC, China Daily, AFP
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