Conakry calm as students return to classes

Guinea’s capital, Conakry, remained calm on Wednesday as students return to classes two days after demonstrations against a 50 percent hike in public transport fares, a news source told IRIN. The source corroborated the government’s claim that the protestors were mainly “elements from outside the education system”, although “initially, the demonstrators were mostly school children.” The protestors wrecked vehicles and smashed windows of government buildings, Reuters reported. The source said that the Ministry of Education announced over state television on Tuesday that the government would look into student concerns, and urged them to return to school. Transporters hiked fares following a rise in fuel prices last week.