AU to Sanction Guinea over Killings
(PANA)-- African Union Commission (AUC) announced on Tuesday it was preparing for measures, including sanctions, against Guinea, following the violence, which claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians in Conakry, the capital, Monday, according to a PANA report.
A ccording to a press statement, the AU peace and security council (PSC) said that Guinean security and armed forces on 28 September smashed a peaceful rally, organised by the Forum des Forces Vives, at the Conakry Stadium.
‘The Commission is preparing a report on the developments in Guinea and possible measures to be taken, including sanctions’, the statement, which did not specify the kind of sanctions, disclosed. The commission also stated that immediate consultations would be initiated with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as members of the International Contact Group on Guinea and other AU partners, to coordinate responses to incidents.
AU sources told PANA that the PSC would possibly hold a meeting on issues about Guinea on Thursday, after which an official statement concerning sanctions would be issued. AUC strongly condemned the incident, describing the action of the security agents as ‘indiscriminate shooting at unarmed civilians which left dozens dead, many others injured while serious violations of human rights were committed’.
The Commission warned that it would ensure that the perpetrators were held responsible and accountable for their actions. Moussa Dadis Camara, President of the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), recently promised the AU and ECOWAS to restore constitutional order in Guinea and the two organizations have decided to back CNDD in this regard.
On 18 September, the PSC gave the president one month to confirm that members of the CNDD, including himself and the Prime Minster, would not run in the upcoming presidential elections. The CNDD seized power in a coup d’état on 23 December 2008, following the death of the long-serving President Lansana Conté.
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