United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is establishing an international commission to investigate the attack on unarmed protesters in Guinea last month that left dozens dead and many injured, the UN said.
A mission left on Friday to look into arrangements for setting up a commission to determine who was responsible,UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said.
"The secretary-general remains deeply concerned by the tense situation in Guinea following the violent crackdown,which he had strongly condemned, on unarmed civilians," she said.
A peaceful pro-democracy rally in the West African country on Sept 28 took a violent turn when presidential guard troops opened fire on tens of thousands of demonstrators. A Guinean human rights group says 157 people were killed.The government put the death toll at 57.
Ms Montas said the mission's leader,Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios will meet with Guinean authorities, regional organisations and others regarding the work of the commission.
The International Criminal Court announced on Thursday a preliminary investigation into last month's violence.The violence has drawn widespread condemnation, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for military leader Captain Moussa "Dadis" Camara to apologise and step down. Capt Camara seized power hours after long-time dictator Lansana Conte died last December.
The UN investigation was announced on the same day that the resignations of two cabinet ministers in Guinea were announced and as France urged its citizens to leave as security deteriorated in the aftermath of the bloody rally.
Information Minister Justin Morel Jr and Labour Minister Alpha Diallo said they could not serve a government responsible for such violence.
Mr Morel resigned late on Thursday citing moral reasons and Mr Diallo on Wednesday, citing religious convictions.
The resignations follow that of Agriculture Minister Abdulrahmane Sano on Monday. Mr Sano cited the protest as the reason for his resignation.
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