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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Guinea junta vows to hold elections soon |
| 2009-12-24 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] Guinea's interim leader General Sekouba Konate has announced that the country will hold democratic elections as soon as possible. The announcement came on Wednesday after the United States and France criticized the regime of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara following a government massacre at an opposition rally on September 28. On Monday, a UN investigative committee found Camara and two of his former aids directly responsible for the murder of 156 people as well as the systematic rape and sexual mutilation of over a hundred girls and women. "My dear brothers in arms, today our concern, for everybody, remains to lead (the nation) at the earliest possible date... to elections, the first free and democratic elections in our history," declared Konate addressing soldiers one year after Guinea's junta seized power following the death of long-standing leader Lansana Conte. "That is the concern of the Guinean people, that is our mission. Nothing and nobody... can distract or distance us from this ideal. This is the place and the time to reaffirm with force our desire, mine and that of my companions, to help the Guinean people choose their leaders through free and democratic elections," added Konate. Camara is recuperating from gunshot wounds he sustained during an assassination attempt on December 3, and has not been seen since. Sources say that he is expected to fully recover from the injuries and plans on returning to Guinea. On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned that Camara's return to Guinea could lead to a 'civil war' in the west African nation. December 23 marks the anniversary of the junta's one year in power which is now haunted by charges of crimes against humanity. The European Union imposed harsh sanction against the junta government on Tuesday by freezing assets of its members and banning shipment of equipment that could be used for state repression. |
| Posted by:Fred |