International leaders have strongly condemned the killing of scores of demonstrators in Conakry, the capital of the West African country of Guinea. Thousands of people who attempted to take part in a banned demonstration against December's military coup were attacked by soldiers on Monday.

There are reports that troops removed bodies to hide the scale of the bloodshed. An anonymous police source says 87 bodies were collected outside the stadium where the rally was to have taken place. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked by the loss of life, the high number of people injured and the destruction of property".

Former colonial ruler France condemned the "violent repression exercised by the army ...during a peaceful demonstration" and called on the military regime to "show responsibility and listen to the Guinean people's legitimate aspiration to democratically choose their leaders." A senior US official urged the Guinean government to "exercise restraint and ensure the safety and security of Guinean and foreign nationals".

The demonstrators were protesting against reports that junta leader and incumbent president Captain Moussa Dadis Camara is planning to become a candidate during the next presidential election. The coup was carried out shortly after the death of President Lansana Conté, who had ruled the country since 1984.

In an interview with Senegal's RFM radio station, Captain Camara said he was "disgusted" when he heard of the violence and "would rather die" than have people killed "because I didn't take control of this country to have a confrontation".

Guinean President Captain Moussa Dadis Camara
Photo by Wikimedia Commons