The former leader of Guinea’s military government, Moussa Dadis Camara, who escaped from a prison in the capital, Conakry, on Saturday, has been recaptured by the armed forces.
He was among four detainees who were accused of involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2009.
Mr Camara, who seized power in a coup in 2008 and lost it in 2010, was arrested in December 2021 and detained in the central prison of Conakry in Guinea.
He was awaiting trial for his alleged role in the violence that occurred on Sept. 28, 2009, when security forces opened fire on opposition supporters who were demanding an end to military rule.
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More than 150 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the incident.
On Saturday, an armed commando stormed the prison and freed Mr. Camara and three other military officers who were also facing charges for the 2009 massacre.
They were Col. Moussa Tiegboro Camara, the former minister in charge of tackling organized crime and grand banditry at the presidency, Col. Blaise Gomou, a former member of the anti-drugs squad and Commander Claude Pivi, the former minister responsible for presidential security.
The armed forces said in a statement that they managed to recapture Camara and two of his co-accused, Col. Tiegboro Camara and Col. Gomou, and return them to the prison.
They said that Camara was safe and sound and that all measures were being taken to find the last fugitive, Commander Pivi.
The ministry of justice said in a statement that the attorney general at the Court of Appeals in Conakry had issued instructions to initiate proceedings for serious charges against the four detainees who were exfiltrated from the prison.
It said that the prison break was a serious attack on the rule of law and the ongoing judicial process.
The 2009 massacre was one of the worst episodes of violence in Guinea’s history and sparked international condemnation.
A UN-backed commission of inquiry found that the security forces had committed crimes against humanity and recommended that those responsible be brought to justice. However, the trial has been repeatedly delayed due to political and legal obstacles. #Guinea