GUINEA: Guinean state and union negotiators look to end general strike and martial law as international calls grow for President Conte to agree political settlement

Record ID: 339908

  • Title: GUINEA: Guinean state and union negotiators look to end general strike and martial law as international calls grow for President Conte to agree political settlement
  • Date: 17th February 2007
  • Summary: TEACHER BEN YOUSSOUF CAMARA SHOWING HIS WOUNDED LEG (SOUNDBITE)(French) TEACHER BEN YOUSSOUF CAMARA SAYING: ''I was surprised by a bullet at about 1.37 am. I heard a shock on the roof and felt something on my right leg that went then in my mattress.'' BEN SHOWING BULLET THAT INJURED HIM BULLET IMPACT ON WALL. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF KARFALLA CAMARA ADDRE
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Guinea
  • Country: Guinea
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1GUWSONZXU0521YJE99R0AWN4
  • Story Text: Union leaders met Guinea's government on Thursday to explore ways of ending a general strike and martial law, as international calls grew for President Lansana Conte to share power with the opposition. The streets of the coastal capital Conakry were quiet on Thursday (February 15) as heavily-armed soldiers enforced an 18-hour curfew under a state of emergency declared by President Lansana Conte on Monday (February 12) to halt protests in which over 110 people, almost all civilians, have been killed.
    The opposition strike and the military crackdown have brought the West African nation to a standstill, crippling bauxite shipments, (the ore from which aluminium is extracted) from the world's largest exporter and worsening food shortages in major cities.
    Guinea's latest bout of violence erupted after Conte named a close ally as prime minister on Friday (February 9). Unions said the move violated a power-sharing deal made last month to end an earlier 18-day general strike that shook his 23-year grip on power.
    The opposition says the rarely seen Conte, who seized power in a 1984 coup, has become an increasingly erratic leader and is unfit to rule.
    Unions restarted the national stoppage on Monday as street riots swept the former French colony.
    Union leader Rabiatou Serha Diallo said that the dispute was driving the country into poverty.
    "Public and private buildings have been destroyed and this has put the country backward, which means we are becoming poorer than before,'' she said.
    "The curfew must be lifted. The Guineans don't know about curfew, it is too strong for the Guineans. Restrictions of movement of the Guineans in the country makes life difficult. Arrest and searches at home during the night where there is no electricity is very difficult for them,'' Diallo told journalists.
    Human rights groups have denounced frequent abuses committed by Guinea's military to repress the protests, including rape and robbery, shooting on unarmed crowds and brutal beatings.
    Ben Youssouf Camara, a teacher, described how he had been shot while lying in bed. ''I was surprised by a bullet at about 1.37 am. I heard a shock on the roof and felt something on my right leg that went then in my mattress,'' he said, showing his injured leg.
    Army chief of staff Kerfala Camara warned in a televised statement that the state of emergency should be observed and that searches for protest leaders would continue.
    ''I will end my statement asking all citizens to respect the state of emergency. Any failure in respecting the state of emergency will be sanctioned in an exemplary way according to the republic law," said Camara.
    While the military crackdown appeared to have restored calm, some analysts have warned the heavy-handed approach could trigger a popular insurgency and a possible civil war which could spread beyond Guinea's borders in a volatile region.
    Upcountry towns were under tight military control, including the mining town of Sangaredi, where production of bauxite by a U.S./Canadian-run venture has been halted by the disturbances.
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