| Posted on Tue, Feb. 13, 2007 |
State of emergency declared in Guinea PAUL FOURNIER Associated Press CONAKRY, Guinea - The president declared a state of emergency, announcing in a broadcast on state radio and television that he has ordered the army to "take all necessary measures" to restore order after three days of violent protests. The death toll from rioting and clashes with security forces reached at least 27 on Monday as the West African country's major trade unions called for President Lansana Conte to step down after his apparent violation of a power-sharing agreement. Conte said in the broadcast late Monday that he had ordered the army to "protect the people of Guinea from the risk of a civil war." The violence started Saturday following Conte's appointment of a close ally from his Cabinet as prime minister. The move angered many who said he sidestepped a power-sharing agreement by naming a confidant, and angry youths took to the streets, throwing stones and burning tires. "I satisfactorily fulfilled all points of the demands. In spite of this goodwill, badly intentioned people restarted the union movement to ridicule the authority of the State," Conte said in the broadcast. Union leaders called for Conte's resignation and restarted a general strike Monday. Gangs of machete-wielding youths roamed the capital throughout the day, while gunfire was heard in some neighborhoods. At least 11 people died in Saturday's violence, according to medical officials and witnesses. Sixteen more bodies of people killed in the fighting were brought to Conakry's main morgue Monday, said Hassan Bah, the director of the city's Ignace Deen hospital. It was not immediately clear when they had been killed. Leaders of the political opposition put Saturday's deaths figure at more than 30 and Conakry's League of Human Rights said it had tallied 57 deaths in the interior of the country from reports by its local representatives. According to Guinean law, a state of emergency prohibits all processions, demonstrations or gatherings and institutes a strict curfew. It also authorizes the military to put anyone participating in activities against the state under house arrest, gives officials wide latitude on searching private property and gives the military authority to monitor phone calls and other communication. The president of Guinea's national assembly called for union and community leaders to return to negotiations with the government, according to a statement read on Guinea's FM Liberty radio station. The station switched to music broadcasts from news during the day after a raid by government forces. "They broke our console, took our microphones and computers," journalist Ibrahima Diallo said. The station's chief and a technician were arrested, he said. Last month, a two-week national strike brought Guinea to an economic standstill and quickly spiraled into violence as protesters clashed with security forces. At least 59 people were killed in that unrest. Union leaders called off the strike after Conte agreed to appoint a consensus prime minister who was not a current member of his government. The post had been left vacant since Conte fired Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo in April. Conte, who seized power in a 1984 coup, named Eugene Camara, a Cabinet member since 1997, to the post on Friday. Camara served most recently as minister for presidential affairs. The next day, protesters took to the streets, throwing rocks and ransacking government buildings. Security forces fired into the crowds. In calling for a new strike, union leaders said they would settle for nothing less than Conte's exit from power. Opposition leaders also have called for Conte to step down, saying the ailing president has let corruption overrun Guinea as people struggle to meet basic needs. Conte is reportedly suffering from a heart condition and diabetes, and has repeatedly traveled to Europe for treatment. Guinea's 10 million people are impoverished and many live without the most basic public services, even though the country has half the world's reserves of bauxite, a material used to produce aluminum.

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