LAGOS, Nigeria — Guinea’s military ruler Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara was flown to Morocco for medical treatment on Friday, a day after he survived an apparent assassination attempt, dealing another blow to the stability of the tiny, mineral-rich nation in West Africa.

Guinea’s ruling military junta, the National Council for Democracy and Development, placed troops at the airport and throughout the capital city, Conakry, according to Western diplomats. CNDD officials said the situation was under control.

Capt. Camara was flown out of Guinea on a plane provided by Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, according to a senior aid worker who has spoken with diplomats in Conakry.

Government officials said Capt. Camara was shot by Abubakar “Toumba” Diakite, the commander of the presidential guard and a former top aide. President Compaore, who has been leading international mediation efforts to quell Guinea’s political crisis, said Capt. Camara would need an operation to treat his wounds, Reuters reported.

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WARRI, Nigeria — Western oil companies operating in Nigeria are racing to lock up license renewals ahead of legislation that could boost tax and royalty rates.

Amid the negotiating scramble, several big players are expected to recommit to community-development programs and local infrastructure projects. Royal Dutch Shell PLC has even agreed to offer business training to former gun-toting militants in the volatile, oil-rich Niger Delta, following a government-sponsored amnesty here.

A sense of urgency arose among the Western oil majors after the Nigerian government said earlier this year it had received an expression of interest from oil-thirsty China to buy the rights to the expiring licenses. Nigerian officials confirmed in September that China’s state-owned Cnooc Ltd. was interested in more than 20 oil blocks, including nonexpiring blocks currently operated by Western companies.

China’s chances of actually acquiring the leases from the government were never very good. Apart from legal avenues Western companies could pursue to prevent their licenses from being taken and given to the Chinese, Western operators in Nigeria have been pumping oil for years and have longstanding, though sometimes volatile, relations with Abuja.

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