Police confirm 11 killed in strike violence

Police have confirmed that 11 people were killed during violence linked to anti-government protests on Monday over high prices for fuel and rice and poor payment of teachers. Authorities on Thursday said they were investigating the causes of the deaths as a nationwide strike entered its ninth day. The government and main labor unions were continuing to meet on Friday. Among those killed, police said, were two students – one in the northern town of Labe and another in the southeastern town of Nzerekore. This conflicts with local press reports that several students were killed when a member of the security forces allegedly opened fire on student demonstrators in Conakry. And on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced deep concern over the reported killing of “some 10 students” during the demonstrations. In a statement issued in New York, he called on authorities to exercise restraint. Students marched on Monday after 12,000 members of the teachers union joined the strike, preventing them from taking their final exams. The government later postponed the exams indefinitely. Rioting by unemployed youths broke out in Conakry on Monday and Tuesday, mainly in the city’s northern neighbourhoods. Guinean workers on Thursday emphatically rejected the government’s latest offers to end the strike. Trade unions have managed to galvanize Guineans to protest government policy where the country’s divided opposition parties have largely failed. The public has widely adhered to the strike, which has closed banks, shops and other businesses, and nearly ground public transportation to a halt. Unions want lower prices for rice and fuel, increases in allowances for transportation and rent for government workers, and payment of salary arrears for teachers. as/cs/ss