UN Chief Receives Inquiry Report on Guinea Massacre

The United Nations chief has begun examining a report from an international inquiry commission on a deadly September attack against opposition protesters in Guinea.

The U.N. says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "now considering" the report and will distribute the findings to groups including the Guinean government, the U.N. Security Council and the African Union.

The three-member commission says its findings are based on testimony from security officials and demonstrators who were at Guinea's national stadium when the attack occurred.

Human rights groups say at least 157 people were killed and dozens of women raped after soldiers fired directly at demonstrators who had gathered to protest against the expected candidacy of military ruler Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. However, the government says far fewer people died and most were killed in a stampede to leave the stadium in the capital, Conakry.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive report on the incident that says Guinea's military government planned and organized the attack.

The report says soldiers entered the main door, fired directly into the crowd and then sexually assaulted as many as 100 women. The group says between 150 to 200 people were killed.

Human Rights Watch says the attack was carried out mainly by the presidential guard, but notes that police and civilian militia also took part. Captain Camara has blamed rogue soldiers for the incident.

The Guinean leader has been hospitalized in Morocco after being shot in the head by one of his aides two weeks ago.

The aide, Lieutenant Aboubacar "Toumba" Diakite, was head of the presidential guard. Diakite told French radio this week that he acted because Captain Camara intended to assign him full blame for the violence. The lieutentant remains at large.