Dubai Telegraph - The bloodied trajectory of Guinean ex-dictator Dadis Camara

EUR -
AED 3.865039
AFN 71.961868
ALL 97.885367
AMD 409.705534
ANG 1.898038
AOA 960.733931
ARS 1055.061215
AUD 1.613881
AWG 1.894109
AZN 1.787029
BAM 1.951539
BBD 2.126437
BDT 125.855234
BGN 1.956342
BHD 0.396578
BIF 3110.579445
BMD 1.052283
BND 1.414399
BOB 7.293078
BRL 6.086683
BSD 1.053191
BTN 88.848028
BWP 14.387453
BYN 3.446543
BYR 20624.740218
BZD 2.122845
CAD 1.469502
CDF 3014.78969
CHF 0.929776
CLF 0.037101
CLP 1023.776253
CNY 7.619996
CNH 7.625593
COP 4626.455438
CRC 534.824751
CUC 1.052283
CUP 27.885491
CVE 110.024795
CZK 25.350861
DJF 187.538784
DKK 7.458788
DOP 63.520417
DZD 140.573397
EGP 52.274979
ERN 15.78424
ETB 131.306162
FJD 2.388363
FKP 0.830585
GBP 0.832524
GEL 2.883571
GGP 0.830585
GHS 16.7185
GIP 0.830585
GMD 74.71233
GNF 9078.051459
GTQ 8.13025
GYD 220.338958
HKD 8.189863
HNL 26.613518
HRK 7.506205
HTG 138.346648
HUF 411.186809
IDR 16734.714279
ILS 3.929639
IMP 0.830585
INR 88.911049
IQD 1379.588093
IRR 44293.214291
ISK 145.520299
JEP 0.830585
JMD 166.933965
JOD 0.746386
JPY 162.676061
KES 136.007134
KGS 91.02957
KHR 4249.68174
KMF 491.94202
KPW 947.053999
KRW 1471.222726
KWD 0.323672
KYD 0.877684
KZT 523.167824
LAK 23125.51255
LBP 94319.785398
LKR 306.411046
LRD 190.622024
LSL 19.101997
LTL 3.107117
LVL 0.636515
LYD 5.138732
MAD 10.521031
MDL 19.167154
MGA 4930.189594
MKD 61.546561
MMK 3417.773046
MNT 3575.656436
MOP 8.443666
MRU 41.866002
MUR 48.839087
MVR 16.268296
MWK 1826.195708
MXN 21.380416
MYR 4.698412
MZN 67.293799
NAD 19.101997
NGN 1768.455747
NIO 38.755022
NOK 11.613586
NPR 142.154623
NZD 1.792324
OMR 0.40513
PAB 1.053101
PEN 3.996674
PGK 4.239684
PHP 62.126243
PKR 292.773138
PLN 4.342422
PYG 8247.914831
QAR 3.840515
RON 4.977085
RSD 117.020141
RUB 106.281009
RWF 1452.315514
SAR 3.95054
SBD 8.79238
SCR 14.332083
SDG 632.944958
SEK 11.610939
SGD 1.413951
SHP 0.830585
SLE 23.75528
SLL 22065.84631
SOS 601.88026
SRD 37.282669
STD 21780.126598
SVC 9.214882
SYP 2643.891613
SZL 19.091139
THB 36.458458
TJS 11.216013
TMT 3.682989
TND 3.324243
TOP 2.464553
TRY 36.27081
TTD 7.130433
TWD 34.270209
TZS 2791.031424
UAH 43.426878
UGX 3886.514989
USD 1.052283
UYU 45.021709
UZS 13526.469111
VES 48.861031
VND 26751.65603
VUV 124.929112
WST 2.937543
XAF 654.521833
XAG 0.033884
XAU 0.000395
XCD 2.843846
XDR 0.801343
XOF 654.521833
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.991742
ZAR 19.064031
ZMK 9471.810193
ZMW 29.146091
ZWL 338.834589
  • RIO

    -0.0400

    62.39

    -0.06%

  • RBGPF

    59.6900

    59.69

    +100%

  • CMSC

    -0.0450

    24.52

    -0.18%

  • SCS

    -0.0200

    13.07

    -0.15%

  • CMSD

    -0.0836

    24.26

    -0.34%

  • NGG

    -0.3100

    63.27

    -0.49%

  • BCC

    -0.7700

    137.41

    -0.56%

  • BTI

    0.1500

    37.08

    +0.4%

  • RELX

    -0.1800

    45.11

    -0.4%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0800

    6.61

    -1.21%

  • JRI

    -0.0300

    13.23

    -0.23%

  • GSK

    -0.1100

    33.35

    -0.33%

  • BCE

    -0.3100

    27

    -1.15%

  • VOD

    0.0200

    8.94

    +0.22%

  • AZN

    -0.6000

    63.2

    -0.95%

  • BP

    -0.0100

    29.08

    -0.03%

The bloodied trajectory of Guinean ex-dictator Dadis Camara
The bloodied trajectory of Guinean ex-dictator Dadis Camara / Photo: SEYLLOU DIALLO - AFP/File

The bloodied trajectory of Guinean ex-dictator Dadis Camara

Moussa Dadis Camara once described himself as the "little captain who became president by destiny" but is associated with one of the darkest periods in Guinea's history.

Text size:

Known during his rule for his absurd television performances in which he would humiliate stooges, the once-obscure officer who became an incongruous head of state is now a convicted criminal, 59, and faces 20 years in jail.

On September 28, 2009 and in the following days, the Red Berets of his presidential guard as well as soldiers, police and militiamen assassinated 156 people who had gathered in and around a stadium for an opposition rally ahead of an upcoming presidential election.

At least 109 women were raped.

Dadis Camara, then a military captain, had seized power with a group of officers in December 2008 immediately after the death of Lansana Conte, Guinea's second post-independence president who had ruled autocratically for 24 years.

He described the takeover as bloodless and emerged as head of a ruling junta, justifying his power grab by claiming no civilian could manage a country marked by corruption and instability since independence from France in 1958.

"I am the father of the nation," he declared in 2009, asserting on several occasions that he had been "chosen by God, who confers power on whomever He wishes".

The ex-dictator remained motionless as the verdict was read out on Wednesday at the Conakry Court, where he was sentenced for crimes against humanity, after the landmark trial. Seven other defendants were handed sentences of up to life imprisonment.

- The 'Dadis Show' -

Dadis Camara's rollercoaster life journey saw him rise from humble beginnings as a low-ranking officer born in a remote corner of southeastern Guinea, far from the centre of political power in Conakry.

He said his illiterate father was a simple peasant.

"I'm a man of the people... I was born in a hut," he once said.

He is known to have joined the armed forces in 1990 and to have served mainly in the army's fuel supply department.

In 2007 he was among army officers who took part in a wave of unrest against the regime of veteran president Conte, aimed notably at gaining payment of salary arrears.

His popular rhetoric earned him the support of many Guineans at the start of his presidency as he often highlighted his modest origins.

Then-Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade said Dadis Camara gave him the impression of being a "pure young person who wants to do well".

In his frequent appearances on national television, which became known as the "Dadis Show", he would rail against fellow officers, accusing them of systematic corruption.

But he soon showed signs of letting his power go to his head, becoming increasingly erratic and reneging on a promise not to run in a presidential election the junta promised to hold in 2010.

- 'Napoleon' -

That led to the fateful day in Conakry's sports stadium in September 2009, where a large crowd of opposition supporters were attending a rally against Dadis Camara as a potential election candidate.

After the event, which turned most Guineans against him, Dadis Camara expressed little remorse, stating that his army was "uncontrollable", but that it also had "feelings and respect" for him.

He was unceremoniously ousted from power after suffering a head wound in an attempted assassination by his aide de camp in December 2009, formally giving up power in January 2010.

He received treatment in Morocco before fleeing into exile in Burkina Faso, where he converted to Christianity.

After announcing his intention to run for president in 2015, he was indicted in July 2015 by Guinean magistrates for his role in the stadium massacre.

He finally returned to his homeland in September 2022 for his trial, the once mighty head of state humbled by the experience of imprisonment.

In his winding testimony referencing philosophers Heraclitus and Immanuel Kant, Egyptian pharaohs, Napoleon and the memory of his father, Dadis Camara denied any responsibility.

"Many may think, 'Ah, Dadis Camara is crazy'", he said.

"Dadis Camara is not crazy -- Dadis Camara is generous because Dadis Camara recognises his ancestors."

S.Saleem--DT