Guinea's president wounded in renegade attack
CONAKRY, Guinea
President Moussa "Dadis" Camara was shot at by his military
aide, who heads the presidential guard, Communications Minister
Idrissa Cherif. A statement read on state TV said the 45-year-old
president had been slightly wounded but that his life was not in
danger.
"The president of the republic is still the president of the
republic and he is in good health," Cherif said as military
helicopters and sporadic shooting could be heard in downtown
Conakry.
Cherif said Camara had left the country's main military barracks
from where he has been running the country since seizing power in a
military-led coup 11 months ago. He headed downtown to a military
camp housing hundreds of men under the control of Abubakar
"Toumba" Diakite, the president's aide-de-camp. The shooting
occurred inside the camp.
The incident underscores the deep rifts inside the military
clique that grabbed control of the nation of 10 million on Africa's
western coast just 11 months ago. Camara had initially promised to
quickly organize elections, but then reversed course and began
hinting that he planned to run for office, prompting a massive
protest Sept. 28.
Toumba is accused of having led the presidential guard that
opened fire on the peaceful demonstrators that had gathered inside
the capital's national stadium. At least 157 people were killed and
dozens of women were raped by the red beret-wearing presidential
guard who also assaulted them with bayonets, rifle butts and with
pieces of wood. At least 20 women were kidnapped and driven away in
military trucks to private villas where they were drugged and
videotaped while they were being gang raped over several days,
according to three survivors as well as several human rights
groups.
The massacre led the European Union and the African Union to
impose sanctions on Guinea, including on top members of the junta,
who are now the subject of a travel ban. Sources inside the
military say that it deeply aggravated divisions that were already
present and has led to the clique fracturing further. Members of
the junta, including Toumba, are believed to lead private armies
that are faithful only to them.
A U.N. mission was in Conakry this week investigating the
massacre and interviewed top military commanders in order to try to
understand how the order to kill protesters was given. Toumba, as
well as Camara and several others, may face charges of crimes
against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
The government has denied all wrongdoing and blamed opposition
leaders for going ahead with the banned protest. Earlier on
Thursday, one of Camara's top commanders, Moussa "Tiegboro"
Camara, testified before a national commission investigating the
killings and said that he saw no bodies inside the stadium and that
footage captured on cell phones of women being raped by the
presidential guard are "montages."
Human rights groups and country experts believe that Camara most
likely ordered the killings, but did not carry them out, leaving
that to trusted commanders like Toumba and Tiegboro. They say that
with the U.N. now investigating, it's possible that they will turn
on each other. Both Toumba and Tiegboro were seen by numerous
witnesses at the stadium ordering the attacks, but some witnesses
said that Tiegboro showed a degree of restraint, at one point
throwing a piece of cloth to a woman who had been stripped naked by
men about to rape her, according to her account to the AP.
By contrast, witnesses were unanimous in saying that Toumba was
recklessly violent -- even sadistic -- in his attack. Analysts say
that if the junta is to split, the easiest way is for them to hand
over Toumba to authorities and in return, arguing for amnesty for
Camara, Tiegboro and others.
Cherif said that it was clear that Toumba's intention was to
kill the leader. "When you pull a gun on someone, is it your
intention to scare him? No. Your intention is to kill him," he
said.
He declined to say whether the shot grazed or wounded Camara, or
whether anyone else in his entourage was hurt. He repeated that he
is "doing well" and that "the situation is under control."
In the early evening, residents and tourists near Camp Koundara
said they heard repeated volleys of shots. The camp is also close
to the prime minister's office, who was out at the time but
received a call from his aide telling him to avoid returning. "I
was told to go home," said Prime Minister Kabine Komara, who was
reached on his cell phone. "I am trying to reach the head of the
army to find out what is going on," he said.
The shooting came a day before the U.N. mission is due to depart
Conakry. Guineans have been shocked that not a single soldier has
so far been arrested and charged. Country experts have argued that
Camara, who is not believed to have been at the stadium during the
massacre, did not have the power to arrest Toumba, as it could have
prompted him to lead a countercoup.
In a recently released report, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch
said that Toumba was clearly aware of the rapes being committed by
men under his control and yet did nothing to stop them. They cite
an opposition leader who described how he was led away by Toumba
and passed women in agony.