CONAKRY, Guinea — The wounded president of Guinea was airlifted to a hospital in Morocco on Friday, opening a power vacuum in this mineral-rich country one year after he took over in a military coup.
The shooting of Capt. Moussa “Dadis” Camara, reportedly by his second-in- command, has laid bare deep divisions within the junta.
The assassination attempt followed an argument between Camara and Abubakar “Toumba” Diakite, head of the presidential guard, over who would take the fall for a massacre of unarmed protesters in September, two government officials and a retired diplomat said.
The government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak and the retired diplomat feared reprisal.
U.N. officials were in Guinea this week investigating the massacre.
Camara was flown to the Mohammad V Military Hospital in Rabat, where a medical official described his condition as not serious, noting he appeared only slightly wounded. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission.
The information supports statements by presidential spokesman Idrissa Cherif, who told The Associated Press that the Guinean leader was walking and talking.
“He is doing well,” he said.
The trip marked the first time the 45-year-old has left Guinea since seizing control last December. He has canceled other trips abroad, often at the last minute, because of fears of countercoups.
As night fell Friday, Diakite and about a dozen of his men remained at large. A nationwide manhunt was underway.
The owner of a building overlooking Camp Koundara, the base of the presidential guard, said one of his tenants saw a speed boat loaded with gun-toting soldiers take off over the Atlantic Ocean.
The bold, daylight shooting Thursday underscores how fractious the army has become since Camara took charge after the death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte.
