Guinea has confirmed that at least nine people have been killed during an armed jailbreak that briefly freed former military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara and three other officials from a central prison. The escape prompted authorities to launch a nationwide manhunt, with nine bodies found, including three attackers and four members of Guinea’s defense forces. Camara, who served as president from 2008 until 2010, was briefly released by the Justice Ministry.
The West African country of about 14 million people underwent a coup in September 2021, when Colonel Mamady Doumbouya stormed the presidential palace and overthrew civilian President Alpha Conde. Camara and his co-defendants are charged with murder, sexual violence, torture, abduction, and kidnapping, facing life imprisonment if convicted. The trial is unprecedented in a country ruled by authoritarian regimes, where people have become accustomed to the impunity of the untouchable security forces.
