Yahoo news article

I'm blog-happy lately.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070212/wl_nm/guinea_strike_dc

Guinea declares martial law as nine die in protests

By Mohamed CamaraMon Feb 12, 6:06 PM ET

Guinean President Lansana Conte declared martial law in the West African country on Monday after unions resumed a general strike against his 23-year rule and at least nine people were killed in violent protests.

"Given the destruction and the losses in terms of human life, I have decided to decree martial law in the whole of the national territory," Conte told state radio, saying the measure would last until February 23.

The crackdown, which imposes a strict curfew and allows the military to arrest anyone threatening state security, was declared after machete-wielding youths rampaged through several major towns, including the capital Conakry.

Monday's protests also disrupted the mining and export of bauxite from Guinea, the world's leading exporter of the ore from which aluminum is extracted.

More than 110 people have died since early January in union-led protests against Conte, a reclusive, chain-smoking diabetic in his 70s who seized power in an army coup.

"Orders have been given to the heads of the armed forces to take all appropriate measures to defend the people of Guinea from the risk of civil war," Conte said.

Martial law in Guinea forbids all public meetings and empowers the military to censor newspapers and all radio and television broadcasts. The army can also monitor private communications, such as telephone calls, faxes and emails.

Unions resumed the nationwide stoppage because Conte named a close ally, Eugene Camara, as prime minister on Friday.

Union leaders said this violated a power-sharing deal to end an 18-day strike last month which left more than 90 people dead and tested Conte's grip on power.

"We sincerely hope the president will name a prime minister who suits the people," union negotiator Boubacar Biro Barry told Reuters before Conte's announcement.

PROTESTERS KILLED, INJURED

Witnesses said at least three people were killed in opposition-controlled suburbs of the capital Conakry on Monday. In the southeastern town of Nzerekore, local officials reported six protesters killed and dozens injured in clashes with police.

"They (the protesters) burned the governor's office and the prison," the town's mayor, Cece Loua, told Reuters.

It was the third straight day of violence since the appointment of Camara, a senior member of Conte's ruling party. At least 17 people were killed in rioting over the weekend.

Former colonial power France expressed concern at the mounting violence. "We continue to follow the situation in the country extremely closely, notably to ensure the safety of our compatriots," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Soldiers and police in the dilapidated seaside capital guarded banks, petrol stations and strategic points such as the November 8 bridge which leads into the administrative center.

Gunfire was reported near Conakry's airport, where no international flights have landed since Saturday. A senior military source reported a dispute between soldiers at the Camp Alpha Yaya military base, but said it was quickly resolved.

A group of soldiers from the presidential guard burst into FM Liberte radio station and ransacked its studios after a caller said that Conte should step down, employees said.

Operations at the country's biggest bauxite mine at Sangaredi, north of Conakry, were halted after looting and gunfire overnight, a Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) official said.