EU aid chief says Guinea's Camara must stand trial

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The leader of Guinea's military junta must be put on trial for last month's killing of scores of opposition protesters, the European Union's aid chief said on Wednesday.

"This is a crime against humanity. It is a crime against the citizens of Guinea," EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht told reporters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"The international community has agreed that, if such things happen, those individuals have to be brought to justice. Sooner or later he will have to stand in court."

Captain Moussa Dadis Camara drew international condemnation after gunmen opened fire on opposition protesters in a stadium on September 28, killing 157 and wounding more than a thousand, according to a local human rights group.

He has denied responsibility for the violence and blamed it variously on unruly army elements, foreign mercenaries or a crowd stampede.

Camara's junta seized power in a bloodless coup last December after the death of another soldier-turned-head-of-state, Lansana Conte.

Camara promised to improve army discipline, curb corruption and transfer government to civilian rule through elections set for January.