Senegal arrests Guinea ‘coup officer’

A former senior officer in Guinea’s army, Toumba Diakite, who has been on the run since 2009, has been arrested in Senegal, local media reports.

According to the local radio station RFM, he was detained in the capital, Dakar, by the gendarmerie, the country’s paramilitary force.

Mr Diakite was among soldiers who staged a coup in 2008 in Guinea following the death of long-serving President Lansana Conte, paving the way to military rule under Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.

Infighting between junta members led Mr Diakite to attempt to assassinate Capt Camara, who had accused him of ordering a massacre in September 2009 of opposition supporters.

They had gathered in a stadium in the capital, Conakry, to demand an end to military rule.

Mr Diakite is still wanted in connection with the stadium killings.

Capt Camara has been living in exile in Burkina Faso for the last seven years.