Army in control as Guinea tries to break strike
Source: Reuters
(Adds analysis of regional risk, paragraphs 5, 17-18) By Saliou Samb CONAKRY, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Soldiers with orders to shoot rioters and looters were in control of Guinea's towns on Wednesday, as authorities tried to revive talks to end an anti-government strike that has led to martial law. The West African state, the world's top bauxite exporter, has been under military authority since President Lansana Conte declared martial law on Monday after unions launched the second general strike this year amid riots against Conte's rule. At least nine people were killed on Monday in clashes with security forces, followed by several more deaths on Tuesday. Since early January, more than 110 people have been killed in anti-Conte protests led by unions who say the president, a reclusive, chain-smoking diabetic in his 70s, is unfit to rule the former French colony. The military crackdown appeared to have largely restored calm. But analysts warned it could trigger a popular insurgency and a possible civil war which could spread beyond Guinea's borders in a volatile region. Army Chief of Staff Kerfala Camara has ordered his men to use their weapons if they face resistance or threats. Two Guinean army heliopters flew on Wednesday over the dilapidated coastal capital Conakry, where heavily armed soldiers and police patrolled the dusty streets on foot and in pickup trucks and searched homes for stolen firearms. Upcountry towns were also under tight military control, including the mining town of Sangaredi, where production of bauxite -- the ore from which aluminium is extracted -- by a U.S./Canadian-run venture has been halted by the disturbances. "The army has taken over the town. Everything is halted," said an industry source in Sangaredi who asked not to be named. The military enforced a 6 p.m. to noon curfew. During the afternoon, Conakry residents ventured into the streets to stock up on food from street vendors. "I haven't slept for four days because of the shooting. My head hurts," said Binta Ba. Guinean authorities invited union bosses to restart on Thursday negotiations on how to end the political deadlock. But union officials demanded martial law be lifted first. "We can't begin negotiations under martial law," union negotiator Boubacar Biro Barry told Reuters. DESTABILISATION Following an 18-day strike last month, union bosses resumed the stoppage on Monday after Conte named close ally Eugene Camara prime minister, a move they said violated an earlier agreement. Barry said unions wanted a new premier named. The Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group urged African Union chairman and Ghanaian President John Kufuor, France and the United States to help Guinea come up with an action plan for peaceful change. "Chaos in Guinea's Forest Region, bordering Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire, could well destabilise its frail neighbours. Likewise, politically unstable Guinea-Bissau could suffer if its president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, seeks to support his long-time friend, Conte," it said in a report on Wednesday. Guinea's military denied persistent rumours that Conte was using Guinea Bissau troops and Liberian mercenaries to bolster his own forces. The United States and major foreign mining companies have airlifted some expatriate staff and families out of Guinea. The military crackdown drew international criticism. "The state of siege gives the military authorities full powers to infringe on several basic liberties which cannot be curtailed," Veronqiue Aubert, Amnesty International's Africa Programme assistant director, said. Conte, who seized power in a 1984 coup, has counted on the support of the armed forces for his autocratic rule, and analysts say this remains vital to keep him in power.
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