Pan African Parliament (Johannesburg)
30 October 2009
press release
Johannesburg — The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) this morning adopted a motion moved by the Hon. Member from Swaziland Marwick Khumalo against the massacre witnessed in Guinea on September 28 where at least 150 protesters calling on Guinea's military ruler Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to step down were allegedly shot dead by security forces.
Although Capt. Camara has denied responsibility for the violence, his leadership continues to face a wave of international condemnation with many unions pressuring him to step down. On Saturday West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS imposed an arms embargo against Guinea, accusing the ruling military junta for "mass human rights violations" during anti-government protests last month.
On the other hand, PAP called upon the military in Guinea not to contest the elections and also hold fresh and credible elections to be supervised and monitored by the African Union.
Besides that, PAP also raised concerns on the political situation in Niger, and denounced the recent national elections as null and void, hence demanding for a re-run under the supervision of ECOWAS. West African leaders and ECOWAS also raised concerns about the political conflict in Niger, threatening full sanctions if President Mamadou Tandja does not suspend legislative elections.
Some Members of the PAP suggested that a special committee should be put in place to investigate and determine what is happening in West Africa. The parliamentarians also condemned impunity as witnessed in many African countries saying that leaders that don't adhere to the rule of law must face full penalty.
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