Newsdeck

Moussa Dadis Camara

At least 9 killed in Guinea armed jailbreak on Saturday

At least 9 killed in Guinea armed jailbreak on Saturday
Former Guinea Junta head Capt Moussa Dadis Camara speaking to the media in Conakry, Guinea 04 March 2009. EPA/STR

CONAKRY, Nov 6 (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed during an armed jailbreak in Guinea on Saturday in which a former president was briefly freed, the ministry of justice said in a statement on Monday.

Heavily armed men sprang former military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara and three other officials out of a central prison early on Saturday morning, prompting authorities to launch a nationwide manhunt.

Camara was back in Conakry’s Central House prison by the end of the day.

In a provisional country-wide assessment of the incident, the justice ministry said nine bodies had been found, including three assailants and four members of Guinea’s defense force.

Six others were being treated for gunshot wounds in hospital.

Camara and others have been on trial since last year, accused of orchestrating a stadium massacre and mass rape by Guinean security forces in which 150 people were killed during a pro-democracy rally on Sept. 28, 2009.

He has denied responsibility, blaming the atrocities on errant soldiers.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Toby Chopra)

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

A South African Hero: You

There’s a 99.8% chance that this isn’t for you. Only 0.2% of our readers have responded to this call for action.

Those 0.2% of our readers are our hidden heroes, who are fuelling our work and impacting the lives of every South African in doing so. They’re the people who contribute to keep Daily Maverick free for all, including you.

The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.

Be part of that 0.2%. Be a Maverick. Be a Maverick Insider.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options