US condemns attacks

The United States has condemned recent attacks in Guinea by armed men crossing over from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

"We deplore the loss of life and kidnappings suffered by Guineans and others whom Guinea has hosted within its borders and offer sincere condolences for the suffering of Guinea's people," State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker said on Friday. He said the United States called on regional leaders to respect one another's borders and desist from supporting armed incursions.

The spokesman also said US officials were "deeply troubled" by statements by the Guinean government that led to violence against refugees on the weekend of 9 and 10 September in Conakry and called on Guinean authorities to protect refugee populations. Security forces and militant youths detained about 5,000 people - mostly Liberians and Sierra Leoneans - and there were reports of beatings and rapes that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed. The detainees were released by 13 September.

UNHCR said on Monday that one of its members of staff had been killed in an attack on the town of Macenta on Sunday, and that another of its employees passing through that area had disappeared. Guinea appealed to the international community on Friday to condemn the border attacks and drew attention to its role as host of nearly 500,000 regional refugees "despite the cost that it represents for its social equilibrium, economy and environment".