Compaore to visit Nigeria

2009-11-16 08:53

Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore will visit Nigeria on Monday for talks on ending a crisis in Guinea following a massacre at an opposition rally, his office said.

Compaore, who is mediating in the Guinea crisis, will meet Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua in Abuja, according to a statement on Sunday.

Yar'Adua currently holds the chairmanship of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States.

"Bilateral co-operation and current issues in the sub-region, particularly the start of inter-Guinean talks, will be on the agenda for the two heads of state," the statement said.

Guinea troops on September 28 opened fire at a rally in a Conakry stadium where protestors were urging junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara not to stand in presidential elections planned for January.

At least 150 people died, the United Nations says. Human rights groups put the toll at 157 dead and more than 1 200 injured, including women who were publicly raped.

The military regime has said that 56 people died and 934 were wounded.

Guinea's opposition wants Camara to step down and a transitional administration put in place. The junta has said it is open to a consensus appointment of a prime minister who would remain under Camara's authority.

Compaore is to meet the two sides on Wednesday in Ouagadougou.

- SAPA