CONAKRY, Guinea, November 5, 2023 – Moussa Dadis Camara, the former leader of Guinea’s military government, who escaped from the central prison in Conakry on Saturday morning, has been successfully recaptured, according to the Guinean armed forces.
Ibrahima Sory Bangoura, the Chief of Staff and General of the Armed Forces of the Guinean transitional government, confirmed Camara’s recapture in an official statement. He assured the public that Moussa Dadis Camara is safe and sound and has been returned to the central prison in Conakry.
In addition to Camara, two other escapees, Col. Moussa Tiegboro Camara and Col. Blaise Gomou, have also been recaptured and returned to the prison facility.
The Guinean armed forces are diligently working to locate the last fugitive, Commander Claude Pivi.
The Ministry of Justice released a statement announcing that the Attorney General at the Court of Appeals in Conakry has issued instructions to initiate legal proceedings against all four detainees who were extricated from the central prison on Saturday by an armed commando.
These detainees include Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the former transitional president, Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara, the former minister responsible for combating organized crime and grand banditry at the presidency, Blaise Gomou, a former member of the anti-drugs squad, and Commander Claude Pivi, the former minister responsible for presidential security.
Moussa Dadis Camara’s tumultuous history in Guinea dates back to his coup on December 23, 2008, when he assumed leadership of the military government. He relinquished power in January 2010 and subsequently went into exile abroad.
Camara made a return to Guinea in December 2021, and allegations of his involvement in violently suppressing protests that occurred in Conakry on September 28, 2009, emerged. These protests resulted in the deaths of over 150 people and more than 1,000 injuries.
Prior to his escape, Moussa Dadis Camara, along with two other military officers, was detained in the central prison situated in the Kaloum commune. The circumstances of his escape and recapture are still under investigation.
