U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday Guinea's military leaders should quit after soldiers went on a rampage at a protest rally, killing more than 150 people and raping women.

"We were appalled and outraged by the recent violence in Guinea," Clinton said during a news conference with Pakistan's foreign minister. "The indiscriminate killing and raping ... by government troops was a vile violation of the rights of the people of that country."

Military leader Moussa Dadis Camara's troops opened fire on a rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry on September 28. A local human rights group said 157 were killed and hundreds wounded. There were reports of many women raped by the troops.

Camara seized power in Guinea, the world's top bauxite exporter, after a coup in December and has angered his opponents by refusing to say he would opt out of presidential elections set for January.

The African Union has given Camara until mid-October to confirm that he will stay out of the January 31 elections, threatening sanctions if he misses the deadline.

"We intend to pursue appropriate actions against the current administration in that country," Clinton said.

Clinton said U.S. diplomats had spoken to Guinea's leaders in the "strongest possible terms." The State Department said U.S. officials had expressed "deep outrage" and "condemned the massacre and egregious human rights violations."

bron: Reuters