9 killed in prison attack in Guinea: Appeals court

Nine people were killed and six more severely injured in the central prison attack happening early Saturday in Conakry, Guinea, according to a statement released by the country's appeals court Monday, reported Xinhua.

The statement issued by the Court of Appeals in Conakry said the deceased included Guinean civilians, members of the National Defense and Security Forces, and unidentified armed individuals. The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

According to the statement, the transitional government's military forces have seized vehicles, firearms, and grenades from some of the armed individuals involved.

Military prosecutors will continue their investigation into the prison attack.

Around 5 a.m., local time, Saturday, a group of unidentified armed individuals broke into the prison in the Kaloum district, assisting former Guinean military government leader Moussa Dadis Camara and three former military government officials in their escape. The transitional government's military forces immediately launched a counterattack. Moussa Dadis Camara was recaptured, along with two other escapees, and brought back to the central prison later Saturday, while one former military government official is still at large.

Moussa Dadis Camara launched a coup on Dec. 23, 2008, and became the leader of the military government. He lost power in January 2010 and went into exile abroad. He returned to Guinea in December 2021 and was subsequently accused of violently suppressing the protests that took place in Conakry on Sept. 28, 2009, resulting in the deaths of more than 150 people and more than 1,000 injuries. Moussa Dadis Camara, along with two other military officers, was detained in the prison in the Kaloum commune.