Martial Law Declared

Guinea's military enforce martial law to end unrest

By Mohamed Camara CONAKRY, Feb 13 (Reuters)

Guinea's military clamped a security lock on the capital Conakry and other towns on Tuesday after President Lansana Conte declared martial law in the West African state to stamp out violent protests against his rule.

Heavily armed soldiers and police patrolled the largely deserted streets of the dilapidated seaside capital, enforcing a strict curfew that will only allow people out of their homes for four hours, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Residents said they saw truckloads of helmeted troops in camouflage fatigues heading out of the city. Other major towns, such as Kankan and Nzerekore in the east, were also reported to be under tight military control.

"There is heavy deployment of soldiers at crossroads, controls have been stepped up," said one Conakry resident, who asked not to be named. Conte went on state TV and radio on Monday night to announce the military crackdown, which will last until Feb. 23. It was aimed at quelling a wave of riots and looting across the country that accompanied the relaunch by unions on Monday of a general strike opposing the president's 23-year rule.

Union leaders say Conte, a reclusive, chain-smoking diabetic in his 70s, is no longer fit to rule Guinea, the world's No. 1 exporter of bauxite. Foreign-run bauxite mining operations have been disrupted by the strike and protests. At least nine people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces on Monday.

This brought to more than 110 the number of people killed since early January in union-led protests against Conte. The martial law decree gives sweeping powers to the military, which has backed Conte since he took over in a 1984 coup, to arrest anyone suspected of threatening state security.

The measures also forbid all public meetings and empower 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.

PERSECUTION FEARS

Union and opposition leaders said they were being watched and feared persecution. "There's no mediation right now. We're on the look-out because in a state of siege, the only order is military order ... we're all under surveillance at home," said union negotiator Ousmane Souare.

Unions resumed the nationwide stoppage after 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. Opposition leaders said they did not believe the declaration of martial law would stifle the popular pressure for change.

"Either Conte leaves or he names someone else. If he names someone and the people accept, things will calm down," said one political opponent, Mamadou Ba. "I don't think he realises that the crisis needs to be resolved through dialogue," he added. State TV and radio played music and repeated excerpts of the martial law decree announced by Conte, who wore a white robe and white cap during his broadcast.

Conakry residents said the sound of heavy gunfire was heard overnight coming from the November 8 highway bridge that leads into the city's administrative centre. It was not clear what caused the shooting.