Politics

2009 Massacre: Friends turn foe as Ex-Guinea ruler, Moussa Camara’s aide, Sidiki Diakite, witnesses against him

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2022

Ex-Guinean military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara, has been accused by one of his former aides who told the court on Monday that Camara planned and ordered the 2009 stadium massacre of more than 150 people.

The aide, Lieutenant Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, sometimes known as “Toumba.” said “Everything that happened at the stadium was prepared by President Dadis. It was the children of Kaleah (a military training camp) who descended on the stadium.”

He has previously denied responsibility for the incident, blaming it on errant soldiers including Diakite.

Diakite in his testimony claimed that about 250 to 300 new military recruits, some armed with machetes and knives, were brought to Conakry by people close to Camara to infiltrate the demonstration.

The trial of the former military leader and 11 other men started in September. The accused are facing charges of being part of a 2009 stadium massacre and mass rape by security forces.

Diakite and Camara have a history of acrimony since the massacre. Diakite shot Camara in the head in an assassination attempt after the massacre and said he did it because Camara had cast the blame on him for the massacre, a claim he repeated on Monday.

According to a United Nations, investigation and witness accounts gathered by Human Rights Watch claimed more than 150 people were killed, hundreds of others were wounded and at least 109 women were raped or sexually assaulted in the September 2009 massacre.

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.