Former Guinea dictator Moussa ‘Dadis’ Camara back in jail after gunmen stormed prison, lawyer says
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Gunmen stormed the main prison in Guinea’s capital early Saturday and freed former dictator and several others, authorities said. A lawyer for the ex-strongman, though, later said he had been kidnapped.
In a statement, Prosecutor Yamoussa Conte said he has ordered authorities to investigate charges of escaping jail and weapons possession against Camara and three other individuals.
However, an attorney for Camara said late Saturday afternoon that her client was back at the central jail, where he was being questioned.
“My client has not escaped; he has been abducted,” Jacomey Haba told The Associated Press.
Among the others who escaped were Claude Pivi and Blaise Goumou, who along with Camara had been detained on charges in connection with a
A fourth prisoner, Moussa Thiegboro Camara, already has been recaptured, Wright added.
Camara came to power in a 2008 coup d’etat following the death of longtime dictator 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.
More than a dozen suspects were charged in connection with the 2009 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
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Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.