VOA News, AFP, AP and Reuters
29 September 2009
Doctors in Guinea are treating the survivors of a bloody military crackdown that killed at least 87 anti-government protesters.
The death toll continues to rise as aid groups and medical workers discover more people gunned down by security forces in a crowded Conakry stadium on Monday.
Human Rights Watch is reporting witness accounts of victims' bodies riddled with bullet holes and stab wounds from knives and bayonets. The New York-based group also reports that women were sexually assaulted by security forces.
Guinea's military ruler, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, has admitted some soldiers lost control at the rally that drew tens of thousands of people protesting his rule.
The killings have drawn worldwide condemnation.
In New York, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was shocked by the loss of life.
He criticized the military's use of force, a sentiment echoed by the African Union, the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Guinea's former colonial power, France.
The French Foreign Ministry said Guinea's military leaders should “show responsibility” and “listen to the Guinean people's legitimate aspiration to democratically choose their leaders.”
Captain Camara took power in a coup last December following the death of Guinea's longtime president, Lansana Conte.
At that time, the military leader said no one in his ruling council would run for public office. However, he has since suggested he may run for president.
The African Union says it may impose sanctions on Guinea if that happens.
Opponents have accused Captain Camara and his military council of human rights abuses and restricting free speech.
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