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Guinea’s ruling junta has fired 60 troops and prison authorities following a jailbreak in which armed commandos freed ex-dictator Moussa Dadis Camara and killed nine people, officials said Monday.
Heavily armed men stormed the Conakry prison early Saturday, capturing Camara and three other former top officials on trial alongside him for a 2009 massacre during his presidency.
Nine people died in the raid, according to a provisional toll.
It remains unclear if the group had escaped or been taken against their will as their lawyers have stated.
The army described the operation as an attempt to “sabotage” government reforms and swore its “unwavering commitment” to the current military-led regime.
The authorities have repeatedly called for calm and declared they have the situation under control.
“Thank God, the chaos that evil minds (wanted) to provoke after this event, this chaos has been halted,” Prime Minister Bernard Goumou said on Sunday.
He urged people to “remain calm, stay peaceful and may everyone carry on quietly about their business”.
On Monday, life returned to usual in Conakry’s Kaloum administrative and business district, which also houses the major prison.
Security personnel, on the other hand, were thoroughly inspecting vehicles entering the district for weapons and the final fugitive prisoner, Colonel Claude Pivi, who is still on the run.
Camara’s lawyer and the army confirmed later on Saturday that he had been recaptured and was back in custody, but no further information were provided.
Two of the men detained with Camara were also returned to prison.
In a statement issued on Monday, Prosecutor General Yamoussa Conte stated that nine persons were killed during the jailbreak operation.
Three were suspected attackers, while the others were four members of the security forces and two persons in an ambulance who were purportedly caught in gunfire.
The prosecutor general further stated that Camara and the other three individuals would be investigated for the suspected death of security force members as well as manslaughter.
The West African country’s junta, which took control in September 2021, issued a series of decrees late Sunday ordering the dismissal of dozens of military and jail administration personnel.
Pivi, a leading figure during Camara’s rule, and two other colonels who also escaped from jail on Saturday, were among those removed.
