Rounding off their 14th Ordinary Session (summit) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tuesday, the leaders firmly condemned the ''deliberate massacres and acts of violence perpetrated by elements of the Guinean armed and security forces against unarmed civilians in the Conakry stadium on 29 September''.
They said the authors of the massacres, which left at least 156 dead or missing and 109 women raped, and those who ordered them must be brought to justice, in line with the African Union principles on combating impunity.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the killings and rapes were pre-meditated and committed largely by the elite Presidential Guard, commonly known as the 'red berrets'.
A UN panel that investigated the massacre and rapes concluded that Guinean junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and some of his aides should be referred to the International Criminal Court for ''crimes against humanity''.
Under a deal signed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 15 Jan. 2010, a civilian Prime Minister has been appointed from the ranks of the opposition, while Gen. Sekouba Konare - Camara's deputy - has taken charge of the country following the assassination attempt against Camara.
Elections are scheduled to hold in the West African nation within six months, and Camara, Sekouba and other junta officials are barred from taking part.
While describing the transitional deal as a ''significant phase in the process for the return to constitutional order'' in Guinea, the leaders said that should not hinder the process of meting out justice to the perpetrators of the killings and rapes.
From Segun Adeyemi - Pana 02/02/2010
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