Gunmen free ex-Guinean leader Moussa Camara in apparent jailbreak

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Former Guinean leader Moussa Camara escaped from prison in the country’s capital early Saturday, an official said.

Justice Minister Charles Alphonse Wright said Camara’s escape from the main prison in the capital Conakry was made possible after gunmen stormed the prison facility.

“We will find them. And those responsible will be held accountable,” Wright told reporters.

Announcing the closure of the West African nation's borders, Wright said Camara escaped along with two other prisoners, Claude Pivi and Blaise Goumou.

The escape came several hours after heavy gunfire erupted in the Kaloum district of the capital.

However, his lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Jocamey Haba, said an escape attempt by his client was out of the question.

“The man I've known for all these years, who insisted he was tired all the time, can't run away. All indications are that he has been abducted and that his safety is in danger,” Haba told local news portal africaguinee.

Camara took power in a 2008 coup and had been detained in connection with a stadium massacre which occurred during his brief rule.

He lived for years in exile after surviving an assassination attempt and returned home in late 2021.​​​​​​​