Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Conakry (Agenzia Fides) – The President of the military junta in Guinea, Moussa Camara Dadis, was hospitalized in a Moroccan hospital to treat his injuries in from an attack on December 3 (see Fides December 4). His condition has not yet been disclosed.
According to local sources contacted by Fides, in Guinea the situation is calm yet dominated by uncertainty. "The fundamental questions - as a source of the Church (who requested anonymity for security reasons) tells Fides - are: what are the conditions of Camara? Where is his attacker, Lieutenant Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité? What will happen to the resumption of negotiations between the junta and the opposition and representatives of civil society being held in Ouagadougou? Will they be suspended?"
According to Fides sources, on the afternoon of December 3, Camara had travelled to the base in Koundara, to ask Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité why he had refused to meet with the UN Commission that is investigating the massacre of over 150 people by the military during an opposition rally on September 28. Camara had previously met with the Commission, while Diakité, who is suspected of having directed the operations of repression, had refused to receive the representatives of the UN. On his arrival at the military base, Camara fell victim to an ambush in which he is injured (no word yet if it has been severe) and two members of his staff were killed. The President's bodyguards managed to scare off attackers. According to the Guinean authorities, Diakité has not been taken into custody.
The Minister of Defense, Sékouba Konate, interrupted his visit to Lebanon and returned early in Conakry. It is likely for him to govern the country ad interim. "In this uncertain situation, the population seems resigned and watches as its economic conditions deteriorate due to sanctions imposed by the international community after the massacre on September 28," our sources concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/12/2009)
