Moussa Camara: Ex-Guinea head of state, freed by gunmen, rearrested, returned to prison

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Former Guinea head of state, Moussa Camara has been rearrested a few hours after his escape from prison.

On Saturday, around 5 am, gunmen attacked a prison in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and freed the former head of state.

Three persons were also freed alongside Camara during the prison break.

After the attack, the country’s borders were closed as the authorities launched a hunt for them.

“We will find them and those responsible will be held accountable,” Charles Wright, Guinea’s justice minister, had said.

Confirming Camara’s rearrest, Jocamey Haba, counsel to Camara, told AFP that his client was back behind bars.

An army spokesperson in Guinea also confirmed the development to AFP.

“Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has been found safe and sound and taken back to prison,” Haba said.

The fugitives are currently on trial for their alleged roles in the death of more than 150 persons during a 2009 protest.

Camara seized power in 2008 after President Lansana Conté died.

He was ousted, then he fled the country not long after the Conakry killings and in the wake of an assassination attempt.

The 59-year-old former head of state was residing in Burkina Faso before returning to Guinea in September 2022 to face trial.