2009 Guinean protests

The protest march was fueled by the indication of junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara breaking his pledge to not run in the next presidential vote due in January 2010.

At least 157 demonstrators were killed,[2][3][4] 1,253 injured and 30, including Cellou Dalein Diallo, the leader of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UDFG), were arrested and taken away in lorries.

On July 31, 2024, Moussa Dadis Camara was found guilty of “crimes against humanity” in the massacres that occurred in 2009, and was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

[8] On 24 December 2008, about six hours after the death of Lansana Conté, a statement was read on state radio announcing a military coup d'état by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara[9][10] on behalf of a group called the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), which said that "the government and the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved."

"[10] According to Captain Camara, the coup was necessary because of Guinea's "deep despair" amidst rampant poverty and corruption, and he said that the existing institutions were "incapable of resolving the crises which have been confronting the country."

He gained much popularity by cracking down on drug dealers, including Ousmane Conté, son of the former president, and by making them admit wrongdoing on his television show.

[5] A crowd of around 50,000 people gathered at the Stade du 28 Septembre on the day, carrying signs that read "Down with the army in power" and calling for an end of the "Dadis show".

[citation needed] According to eyewitness accounts, the elite Presidential Guard, commonly known as the "Red Berets," came in trucks and threw tear gas on the crowd at first but later opened fire.

[14][15] According to one eyewitness, soldiers asked people if they supported Camara, and those who did not were summarily executed, that some women were raped with guns, and shot dead, and that civilians were beaten and old men yanked by their beards.

[19] The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) dispatched President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso to act as a mediator.

[23] Three days after the incident, the junta stuck to asserting a death toll of 56, while they were accused of secretly burying several bodies in the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp.

[26] The African Union was concerned about the "deteriorating situation" in the country, and indicated their intent to impose sanctions against Guinea if Camara ran in the next presidential elections.

[5] European Union – Javier Solana, the foreign policy chief of EU, called for the immediate release of arrested pro-democracy leaders and urged the government to "exercise maximum restraint and ensure a peaceful and democratic transition".