Assassination Attempt
On 3 December 2009, Camara was shot by men under the command of his aide-de-camp, Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite. A government spokesman (Idrissa Cherif) said he was only lightly wounded, but anonymous junta officials said Camara was in a serious condition after being shot in the head. Camara's bodyguard and driver were killed in the attack.
On 4 December the New York Times's sources suggested that Camara had in fact left the country for medical treatment in Morocco, amidst claims by officials that he was not in serious condition.
Vice-President (and defense minister) Sékouba Konaté flew back from Lebanon to run the country. Diakite is still in hiding.
On January 12, 2010 Camara was flown to Burkina Faso. After meeting in Ouagadougou on January 13 and 14, Camara, Konaté and Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, produced a formal statement of twelve principles promising a return of Guinea to civilian rule within six months. It was agreed that the military would not contest the forthcoming elections, and Camara would continue his convalescence outside Guinea. On 21 January 2010 the military junta appointed Jean-Marie Doré as Prime Minister of a six-month transition government, leading up to elections.
On December 17, 2009 a United States diplomatic agent sent information that Camara's health was "not expected to return fully to previous state" following the assassination attempt. Possible plans for restoring order were discussed.
Read more about this topic: Moussa Dadis Camara
Famous quotes containing the word attempt:
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—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)