2009 Guinea protest The 2009 Guinea protest was an opposition rally in Conakry , Guinea on Monday , 28 September 2009 , with about 50 , 000 participants protesting against the junta government that came to power after the Guinean coup d ' état of December 2008 . 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 . The government had already banned any form of protests until 2 October , and when the demonstrators gathered in a large stadium , the security forces opened fire at them . At least 157 demonstrators were killed , 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 . Sidya Touré , former Prime Minister and now an opposition leader , was also injured in the shootings and spoke to the BBC secretly from a hospital ' s restroom . Opponents have accused the junta of limiting freedom of speech and violating human rights . Camara said that the troops responsible for the shooting spree were out of his control . Background . 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 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 . " The statement also announced the suspension of the constitution " as well as political and union activity . " 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 . " Furthermore , Camara said that someone from the military would become President , while a civilian would be appointed as Prime Minister at the head of a new government that would be ethnically balanced . Initially when Camara took over power there was some support , the public being tired of Lansana Conté ' s 24 - year long authoritarian rule . Camara promised a smooth transition of the country to democracy and a presidential election in which he would not stand . 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 . Later , Camara lost support because of his dictatorship - like rule and abusive behavior by him and his forces that indulged in violence , robberies and rapes . He himself humiliated several foreign ambassadors , politicians and leaders by telling them to " shut up or leave " from meetings . This had a negative impact on his image in public , and garnered him criticism for the erratic behavior . Protest . The opponents had decided to stage a demonstration on 28 September against the likely participation of Camara in the next presidential election , and despite the government ' s ban on protests , they decided to carry on with their scheduled protest . 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 " . 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 . In the atmosphere of terror and panic , people started running , falling and getting hit . Youssouf Koumbassa , an eyewitness , claimed that the troops stripped down some female protesters . The equipment of a French journalist was seized and smashed . Protesters fled the stadium and poured into the streets , where they were pursued and fired on by troops . After the shooting incident , soldiers were seen publicly raping women , killing people , and looting stores . 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 . The wounded were taken to hospital , where they were visited by human rights activists . Although many had gunshot wounds , some were found to have been severely beaten . The dead were taken to a mortuary , and soldiers stood guard outside . Relatives were called in to collect the dead . According to many victims ' families , the military secretly disposed of over 100 bodies , as many had found that the bodies of their relatives had disappeared . Many witnesses reported seeing presidential guards loading some of the bodies into trucks . Images showing dozens of bodies lined up on the street were uncovered , and human rights groups used them as evidence to show that the death toll was much higher than government figures . In the aftermath of the protests , hundreds of protesters who had taken part were arrested and imprisoned without charge . Government reaction . Camara , in an interview to Radio France Internationale ( RFI ) said that the troops responsible for the killings were " uncontrollable elements in the military " and " Even I , as head of state in this very tense situation , cannot claim to be able to control those elements in the military " . He also denied any responsibility for the killings , claiming that he did not issue any shooting orders , and was in his office . Camara has also denied knowledge of sexual assaults by soldiers . He later called for a UN investigation into the incident , an African mediator between the various Guinean political parties and a national unity government . The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) dispatched President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso to act as a mediator . The proposal for national unity government was rejected by the opposition , calling it a tactic to divert attention from the massacre . On 7 October , Camara announced a 31 member commission , including 7 judges from the Justice Ministry , to investigate the details behind the incident . Camara claimed that it would be an independent inquiry . Death toll controversy . 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 . Both , Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights ( OGDH ) and African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights ( RADDHO ) confirmed that it had received requests from families to look into the alleged clandestine burials performed by the military . The cold rooms at a hospital were opened for the journalists on 1 October . Dr . Hassan Bah , the forensic expert who allowed the media into the morgues denied the occurrence of any secret burials by soldiers . According to the United Nations , 109 women and girls had been raped or sexually mutilated . International reactions . The firing by security forces received international criticism . United States – The United States urged the junta government to " stand by its promise to hold free , fair , timely and transparent elections in which no member of the ruling junta will participate " . 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 . - The president of Liberia , Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , has called for an ECOWAS summit on this matter . On account of aggravation of political tension in Guinea due to this incident , FIFA decided to change the venue of the 2010 World Cup qualifier between Guinea and Burkina Faso , citing safety concerns . The game was played in Accra , Ghana instead of Conakry . International inquiries . Human Rights Watch issued a report in December 2009 implicating several CNDD leaders in the massacre , and indicating that the events may constitute crimes against humanity .