With the country under martial law and in the grip of a general strike, Guinea’s union leaders held new talks on Wednesday with President Lansana Conte’s government on how to end weeks of unrest that have left scores dead.
The unions and the government remain divided over who should be prime minister with special extended powers to guide the country out of an economic and social crisis, said Ousmane Souare, a spokesperson of the Syndicated Union of Workers of Guinea.
A trade union source said Conte’s representatives at the talks want the unions to agree that Eugene Camara remains prime minister.
The unions, who launched a general strike in January, say Camara is too closely linked to the president, who has ruled the country for 23 years.
Trades union leaders were meeting with the heads of Parliament, representatives of the national economic and social council, the Supreme Court, religious chiefs and employers.
Camara was appointed to the post earlier this month as Conte’s response to the mounting unrest. But the move sparked widespread unrest and scores have been killed in a crackdown by security forces.
At least 113 people have been killed since the protests started in January. The ailing 72-year-old president has placed Guinea under martial law, which is due to end on February 23.
Despite its rich mineral resources, Guinea is listed among the world’s 20 most impoverished countries in the world.
Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone met with Conte on Tuesday in a bid to resolve the political crisis that again threatens stability in West Africa.
”The situation in Guinea is very worrisome and we are very concerned,” Johnson-Sirleaf said after the talks in Conakry.
”The president told us that he is open to any suggestions that will be made,” she said according to the statement aired on Liberian radio after her return from Guinea on Tuesday night.
The two neighbours’ fear of unrest spilling across from Guinea has seen Sierra Leone tighten security along its border. — Sapa-AFP