Guinea junta leader seeks int'l backing

Sun Oct 18, 2009

Head of Guinea's interim military rule, Moussa Dadis Camara seeks out African Union support in an effort to run for president in 2010.

In a Saturday letter, Camara "wrote to the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) requesting that it be assigned to the mediation of Burkina Faso" leader Blaise Compaore, AFP quoted the junta's Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandre Cece Loua as saying.

The issue of Camara's presidential bid has become a sticking point over strong opposition to his candidacy proposal in Guinea following a 2008 coup in which the military leader assumed power in the wake of the West African nation's long-standing ruler Lansana Cont?'s death in December of the same year.

The latest de facto government declaration comes in the aftermath of an AU decree which had given the junta chief an ultimatum to guarantee his abstention from power in next year's presidential election or face sanctions from the African bloc of nations.

Camara's presidential bid has sparked controversy in Guinea, with thousands of opposition protesters rallying in the capital Conakry later in September in order to voice dissent over the continuation of the military rule.

Rights activists have reported widespread abuse and torture of citizens and maintained that at least 157 Guineans were killed and 1,200 were injured in September 28th government clampdown on the demonstrators.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/108962.html.