Guinea recaptures escaped former leader

Guinean authorities say they have recaptured the former head of the military government after armed men stormed his prison and freed him.

Guinea's Defense Ministry said on November 4 that authorities had recaptured Moussa Dadis Camara, who led the military government from 2008 to 2010, and two former senior officers, Moussa Tiegboro Camara and Blaise Gomou, after the prison break. The three were taken to Maison Centrale de Conakry, a prison in Guinea's capital.

The remaining escaped prisoner, former colonel Claude Pivi, has not been arrested. "We are deploying all measures to track down the last escapee," Guinea's Defense Ministry said.

Guinean security forces patrol the streets of the capital Conakry after a prison attack on November 4. Photo: Reuters — Guinean security forces patrol the streets of the capital Conakry after a prison attack on November 4. Photo: *Reuters*

Earlier, Guinea's Justice Minister Charles Wright said "a group of heavily armed gunmen stormed Central House prison and left with four defendants in the trial of the attack on protesters on September 28, 2009, including former captain Moussa Dadis Camara".

Minister Wright said Guinea had sealed its borders to prevent the prisoners from escaping abroad. "They would be found anywhere," Mr Wright said.

Mr Camara and others are accused of directing troops to massacre and rape protesters in a stadium in the capital in 2009. According to a UN investigation, more than 150 people were killed in the event.

Former Captain Camara denied responsibility, blaming his subordinates for disobeying orders. Mr. Camara has been in custody since September 2022 when the court accepted the case.

Guinea, a West African country of 14 million people, is led by a military junta headed by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya after a 2021 coup that ousted former president Alpha Conde.

There have been eight countries in the West and Central African region that have experienced coups in the past three years, including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Gabon, which are maintaining military governments.

Nguyen Tien (According to CNN )

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