Gunmen have attacked a prison in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and freed former Head of State, Moussa Camara.
The gunmen were said to have blocked access to the city centre and attacked the prison around 5 am on Saturday.
Three persons were also freed alongside Camara during the prison break.
According to British Broadcasting Corporation reports, the fugitives are on trial for their alleged roles in the deaths of more than 150 persons during a 2009 protest.
Meanwhile, the country’s borders have been closed as the authorities hunt for them.
Charles Wright, Guinea’s justice minister, announced the escape on local radio on Saturday.
“We will find them. And those responsible will be held accountable,” he said.
The French AFP news agency quoted a witness from the area who preferred to remain anonymous as saying, “There is gunfire from both automatic and weapons of war in Kaloum.”
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Among the escapees are Col Claude Pivi, a former government minister, who is accused of involvement in the murders at Conakry stadium on September 28, 2009.
Camara seized power in 2008 after President Lansana Conté died. He was ousted and fled the country not long after the Conakry killings and in the wake of an assassination attempt.
59-year-old Camara was residing in Burkina Faso before returning to Guinea in September 2022 to face trial.
Guinea which is currently under military rule is among eight western or central African countries that have witnessed a military coup in the past three years.
