Senegal to extradite Guinean soldier wanted over massacre

Dakar (AFP) - A Senegalese court has approved the extradition of a Guinean soldier allegedly involved in the 2009 massacre of more than 150 people in a stadium, his lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.

Fugitive Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, arrested in Dakar on December 16, is accused of involvement in a September 2009 massacre at an opposition rally in Conakry stadium.

Witnesses reported presidential guards firing on the crowd, beating and arresting opposition leaders, and raping dozens of women.

A UN investigation found that 157 people were killed and at least 109 women raped in the stadium and its surroundings.

A Dakar appeals court "has approved the extradition" of Diakite, his lawyer Baba Diop said.

"We are now awaiting the president's extradition order to file an appeal before the Supreme Court for abuse of power," he added.

Under Senegalese law, the final decision on extradition lies with the president, Macky Sall.

Diop told AFP on December 29 that Diakite was opposed to extradition, fearing for his safety.

Diakite gained notoriety for the December 2009 shooting of Guinea coup leader Dadis Camara after a dispute over responsibility for the massacre.

After being seriously injured in the attempted assassination, Camara was evacuated to Morocco and since has lived in Ouagadougou. Diakite went missing.

In the days after his arrest, Senegalese media harped on his change of identity and appearance that allowed him to go unnoticed in Dakar for five years.