UN Official Probes Deaths In Guinea
A senior UN official has started investigation into the killing of opposition demonstrators in Guinea. UN Assistant Secretary General Haile Menkerios is to investigate the events of September 28, when Guinean soldiers opened fire on the protesters.
They were calling on Guinea's military ruler not to stand for election. A BBC correspondent said Mr Menkerios' arrival is the most powerful sign yet that the world beyond Africa intends to pursue the case.
Human rights groups say some 157 people died in last month's clashes, but the junta puts the toll at 57. Last Sunday, Mr Menkerios met the military ruler, Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara, Guinean Prime Minister Kabine Komara, and members of the opposition.
'The Prime Minister assured me that the Government welcomes the investigation and will co-operate with it,' Mr Menkerios said.
The Guinean authorities have blamed the September killings on out-of-control soldiers and opposition provocation.
Capt. Camara has himself called for an investigation. The BBC West Africa correspondent said the arrival of the UN team in Conakry adds to the broad international pressure being put on the military Government to write itself out of Guinea's political future.
So far, Capt. Camara has yet to yield, despite last Saturday's African Union deadline for him to do so.
'Legally speaking, the deadline has expired but politically, we are still working to put pressure on the junta. It's the result that matters most,' said AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra.
Capt. Camara seized power in December 2008, and initially said he would not stand in the elections he announced for January 2010.
His coup after years of authoritarian rule under Lansana Conte was initially popular.
But rumours that he would seek election led to massive street protests, culminating in last month's bloody crackdown.