157 Guineans have been reportedly killed by the police and military after protests opposing the candidacy of coup leader Moussa Dadis Camara for president. The crackdown has been condemned by the AU and ECOWAS.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
EU BACKS GUINEA MEDIATOR, URGES RETURN TO LAW AND ORDER
The European Union threw its weight Tuesday behind Burkina Faso
President Blaise Compaore as Guinea mediator and urged all sides to work to restore order after last week's massacre in Conakry.
In a statement, the Swedish EU presidency urged "all relevant
actors in Guinea to take immediate action to restore the rule of
law and put the country back on the path towards constitutional
rule and democracy."
It said the European Union will support the efforts by Compaore
and regional and international actors "to secure a peaceful and
lasting solution to the situation in Guinea".
On September 28, security forces fired on demonstrators who
gathered in Conakry's main stadium to protest against the prospect
of junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara becoming a candidate at January 31 presidential elections.
Human rights groups and the United Nations say more than 150
people were killed. The Guinean authorities have given a death toll
of 56, while Camara has denied responsibility.
Compaore is acting as a facilitator on behalf of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ease tensions
following the killings. He arrived in Conakry on Monday.
WASHINGTON 6 October 2009 Sapa-AFP
US CONVEYS OUTRAGE TO GUINEA OVER MASSACRE
The United States said Tuesday it has conveyed "deep outrage" to
Guinea's military leader Dadis Camara and his foreign minister over
the mass killings of protesters late last month.
UN officials and human rights groups said more than 150 people
were killed during a September 28 protest in the capital Conakry
over the prospect of Camara becoming a candidate at presidential
elections early next year.
"US officials have conveyed deep outrage to the highest levels
of the government of Guinea over the horrendous events of September 28," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
He said Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie
Carson and his deputy William Fitzgerald sent the message to Camara and Guinea's foreign minister Alexandre Cece Loua.
The pair told the junta leaders "that the US government
condemned the massacre and egregious human rights violations" on that date.
"They called on Captain Camara to restore order, ensure better
command and control over the security forces, and permit an
international investigation into these events," Kelly said.
The killings prompted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to go
to the UN Security Council last week and appeal "for urgent action
to protect women and girls, war's most violated and vulnerable
victims," the spokesman said.
"The UN and the international community must act now to end this
crisis," Kelly said.
When asked what concrete action the United States could take to
make the Guinean junta toe the line, Kelly said the United States
intended to work with its allies and partners, including France and
Burkina Faso.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for
international intervention and President Blaise Compaore of Burkina
Faso is to visit Conakry under the auspices of the Economic
Community of West African States to help resolve the situation, he
recalled.
Kouchner said it seemed it was no longer possible to work with
Camara.
"And we are very actively engaged. We continue to ... stay
engaged at the diplomatic level, both here in Washington and in
Conakry," he said, adding Washington was "extremely concerned" with the situation.
On September 28, Guinean security forces opened fire on
demonstrators who had gathered in the capital Conakry's main
stadium to protest against the prospect of Camara becoming a
candidate at January 31 presidential elections.
Rights groups and the United Nations say more than 150 people
were killed and women were raped by soldiers. The authorities have
given a death toll of 56, while Camara has denied responsibility.
The State Department announced last Thursday it had ordered the
departure of non-essential personnel and family members of staff at
the US embassy in Guinea amid the wave of violence.
CONAKRY 6 October 2009 Sapa-AFP
GUINEA JUNTA CHIEF MUST STEP DOWN BEFORE TALKS: OPPOSITION
Guinea's opposition said Tuesday it would only hold talks with
the junta after its leader Moussa Dadis Camara steps down and those responsible for a massacre of protesters are arrested.
Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaore, the regional mediator in
the conflict, on Monday invited the junta and the opposition
parties for talks in Ouagadougou to ease the tension in the west
African country.
After an all-day meeting, where tempers occasionally flared, an
umbrella group of political parties, unions and civil society
organisations presented six preconditions for participating in
talks with the military rulers.
The conditions include "the resignation of the junta leader, the
dissolution of the National Council for Democracy and Development
(junta) and the setting up of an transitional organ that will
appoint a government of national unity," a statement said.
The opposition also called for the arrest of those responsible
for the September 28 massacre, when Guinean troops opened fire on protesters in a Conakry stadium, killing more than 150 people, and raped women.
With many protesters still missing eight days after the
bloodbath, the opposition demanded the return of victims' remains
to their families and the release of those arrested during the
demonstration.
The demonstrators had gathered to rally against the prospect of
Camara becoming a candidate in January presidential elections.
International pressure on the junta has been mounting since the
massacre.
"We were appalled and outraged by the recent violence in
Guinea," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.
"The indiscriminate killing and raping that took place under
government control by government troops was a vile violation of the
rights of the people," she said.
Rights groups and the United Nations say more than 150 people
were killed and women were raped by soldiers in the crackdown. The
authorities have given a death toll of 56, while Camara has denied
responsibility for the bloodbath.
Camara seized power in December last year after the death of
Guinean strongman Lansana Conte, who had ruled the resource-rich country since 1984.
Earlier on Tuesday one of Guinea's main opposition leaders,
Cellou Dalein Diallo, called for the arrest of all soldiers who
took part in the massacre.
"The main mission of the junta, when there's a bloodbath like
that, is to put the assassins behind bars," said Diallo by
telephone from France, where he was taken on Friday for care in a
military hospital near Paris.
"A certain number of the assassins are well identified. We saw
them firing on the people in the stadium" where 157 people were
killed and about 1,200 injured according to Guinean rights groups,
Diallo said.
Diallo said had seen "people falling by dozens". There have been
many reports of women being raped by soldiers.
Camara has declared himself "very, very sorry" over the
soldiers' actions. He described the bloodbath as the work of
"uncontrolled elements" of the army but also blamed the opposition
for defying a ban on protest rallies.
WASHINGTON 6 October 2009 Sapa-AP
CLINTON: GOVERNMENT VIOLENCE IN GUINEA CRIMINAL
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling violence by
Guinea's government "criminality of the greatest degree."
Clinton told reporters Tuesday that the government of Capt.
Moussa "Dadis" Camara should apologize to its people and give up
power. Camara seized power hours after longtime dictator Lansana
Conte died last December.
A human rights group says 157 people were killed and more than
1,000 wounded when government troops opened fire late last month at people who were protesting against Camara. Witnesses say soldiers raped women in the streets.
Clinton said the United States will take "appropriate actions"
against Guinea's government.
She added: "Those who committed those acts should not be given
any reason to expect that they will escape justice."
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