Aide admits shooting Guinea leader

Former presidential guard chief says he feared being blamed for protest crackdown.

guinea president
Camara remains in hospital in Morocco, where he was treated following the attempt on his life [File, EPA]

Hunted

Diakite was speaking from an undisclosed location and remains in hiding.

IN DEPTH

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undefined Background: Tensions in Guinea
undefined Camara: A man of the people?

“I will not turn myself in because they do not want the truth to be known. They’d prefer to kill me,” he told RFI.

The failed December 3 assassination attempt, which left Camara in hospital in Morocco with gunshot wounds to his head, has left Guinea close to political crisis.

His continued stay at the hospital has led some to speculate that he has been incapacitated.

General Sekouba Konate, Guinea’s defence minister and Camara’s second in command, has taken charge in Camara’s absence and has led the search for Diakite.

Massacre investigated

It is unclear how many of the roughly 150 men formerly under Diakite’s command remain loyal to him.

Camara seized power in December 2008 following the death of Lansana Conte, Guinea’s long-time ruler, promising he would hand over to a civilian government in a vote in which he would not participate.

He later hinted that he would stand for election, triggering the September protests.

Last month’s assassination attempt took place as UN officials in Guinea were investigating the massacre.

The world body is due to issue a report later this month on who was responsible for the killings.

Source: News Agencies