Gunmen break former Guinean leader out of prison

Armed groups stormed a prison in the West African nation of Guinea's capital Conakry and took out Moussa Dadis Camara, the former head of the 2008-2010 military government.

Guinean Justice Minister Charles Wright announced on November 4 that a group of heavily armed men attacked the Central House prison in the Kaloum administrative district of the capital Conakry in the early morning. The gunmen freed Moussa Dadis Camara and three other prisoners. Camara, 59, was the head of Guinea's military government from December 2008 to January 2020.

AFP quoted a source as saying that the gunmen attacked the prison at around 4am, bypassing security forces. The group appeared to know the location in advance and quickly went straight to Camara's cell, taking him and three former officials out of the prison.

Camara's defense attorney, Jocamey Haba, believes his client has been kidnapped and his life is in danger. "He believes in justice in his country, so he has never tried to escape," Haba said.

Moussa Dadis Camara in the capital Conakry when he took power in 2009. Photo: RFI — Moussa Dadis Camara in the capital Conakry when he took power in 2009. Photo: *RFI*

Mr. Wright said those taken away were all related to the trial of the September 28, 2009 massacre in Guinea.

Camara has denied responsibility, blaming subordinates for disobeying government orders. He has been in custody since September 2022 when the case went to trial.

The Guinean government has ordered a border blockade to prevent the gunmen from fleeing the country. Attorney General Charles Wright has vowed to "find" Camara.

Guinea, a West African country of 14 million people, is led by a military government led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya after a 2021 coup that ousted the civilian government of 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.