Guinea - massacre

Guinea to investigate stadium massacre

Article published on the 2009-10-08 Latest update 2009-10-08 16:20 TU

Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has set up an investigation
(Photo: Reuters)

Guinea's ruling military government has appointed a commission to investigate what happened last week when security forces attacked opposition protestors at a football stadium in Conakry, killing over 150 people.

The military government says only 56 people died in the massacre on September 28.

Witnesses, however, spoke of three times that number and claimed the security forces backing the government of military ruler Captain Moussa Dadis Camara had opened fire on the unarmed crowd.

The commission is to comprise 31 members, including four from political parties, three from unions and civic organisations, three from the junta and three from rights groups, according to a justice ministry statement read out on television.

Other members will be lawyers, judges and university professors, it added.

Camara has insisted he is not responsible for the actions of his troops but the massacre, which witnesses say was coupled with the mass rape of women demonstrators, has triggered international outrage.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told RFI that France suspects Camara of being directly involved.

“The least we can say is that we strongly suspect the interim president to have taken part in the decision to open fire on the crowd,” he says.

“One day we’ll know exactly what happened. For the moment what we know is absolutely horrific.

“I don’t think there’s been such an horrible massacre in a long time even under Idi Amin.”

The Guinean authorities reacted with anger to the accusations.

“What Bernard Kouchner is doing is political disinformation and this is not worthy of France,” Camara's special advisor, Shériff Idriss, told RFI.

“He is being biased in this affair. And we are asking the highest authorities in France to exert some kind of control over Mr Kouchner so that he restrains himself. It is very important.”