Without specifying the circumstances of the capture, an army spokesperson said the ex-military ruler has been found “safe and sound and taken back to prison.” Guinea’s ex-military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara has been recaptured and returned to prison, hours after an apparent jailbreak led by a heavily armed commando, the army and his lawyer said. (Photo: Dadis Camara).

At least two other former officials on trial alongside Camara over a 2009 massacre during his presidency were taken in the earlier operation that sparked heavy gunfire in the capital Conakry, a minister and lawyers said on Saturday. “Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has been found safe and sound and taken back to prison,” an army spokesperson said, without specifying the circumstances of the capture.

One of Camara’s lawyers, Jocamey Haba, also confirmed that his client was back behind bars. Justice Minister Alphonse Charles Wright said earlier that at around 0500 GMT “heavily armed men” burst into the prison and “managed to leave with four (prisoners)… notably Captain Moussa Dadis Camara”. It was unclear whether Camara had escaped of his own free will. The army described the operation as an attempt to “sabotage” government reforms and swore its “unwavering commitment” to the current military-led authorities. (Photo: Dadis, left).

Dreaded Homecoming

Camara came to power in a 2008 coup following the death of longtime ruler Lansana Conte. Camara had lived for years in exile after surviving an assassination attempt by one of his bodyguards before returning home to Guinea in late 2021. The former ruler had been facing charges in connection with a 2009 stadium massacre that left 157 people dead. More than a dozen suspects were charged with the massacre when Guinean security forces fired upon peaceful demonstrators protesting against his intention to run for president after seizing power.

For years Guinea’s government had sought to prevent Camara’s homecoming from exile in Burkina Faso, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup in September 2021 put a junta in power in Guinea that was more amenable to Camara’s return. Camara testified in court last year that he was sleeping during the early hours of the attack, then awoken at 1100 GMT when he was told that demonstrators had been killed.

Courtesy: TRTWorld