Guinea transitional government appointed
by Sapa-dpa on 16 Feb 2010 | Comments
Guinea’s interim prime minister has appointed a transitional government to lead the nation out of military rule.
Prime Minister Jean-Marie Dore’s 34-member government is to be made up of opposition politicians, trade unionists, members of civil society and military officials, according to a statement broadcast on state television Monday evening.
Dore, appointed by the junta in January after international pressure, is tasked with organizing presidential elections by July.
The junta seized power in December 2008. Internal clashes reached their nadir with the massacre of an estimated 157 opposition protestors last September, although the junta said only 58 people were killed in the incident.
The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was due to begin a three-day visit to Guinea on Wednesday to see if the court can charge those responsible for the massacre.
Human rights bodies say soldiers shot, stabbed and raped protestors as they broke up the demonstration at a football stadium in Conakry.
A United Nations inquiry found that junta chief Captain Moussa Dadis Camara and other leaders were ultimately responsible for the deaths.
A local investigation blamed an aide, who then attempted to assassinate Camara in December.
Lieutenant Aboubakar Toumba Diakite shot and seriously wounded Camara after apparently discovering he was being set up to take the fall for the massacre.
Camara is recovering from the attack in Burkina Faso and Diakite is still on the run.
When Camara took power in December 2008, after the death of long-term president Lansana Conte, he promised to hold free and fair elections, and originally scheduled the ballot for last month. He also said he would not stand as a presidential candidate.
His decision not to honour his promises sparked the protests.
source: Times Live
Photograph by: Idrissa Soumare Credit: AP