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Showing posts from July 19, 2013

Guinea Counts Dead, Arrests Suspects as Calm Returns

CONAKRY — Authorities in Guinea on Thursday identified bodies of people hacked and burned to death and rounded up dozens of suspects after days of ethnic clashes killed 58 people and injured at least 160, officials said. Residents said that towns in southeastern Guinea where the military has moved in to restore order were mostly calm after days of violence between rival communities. The violence erupted after a man accused of being a thief was lynched on Sunday. It took place against a background of preparations for long-delayed legislative elections that are meant to end years of transition back to civilian rule after a 2008 military coup. "We have identified 58 dead up until now but calm has returned," government spokesman Damantan Albert Camara said. "The number of arrests has doubled," he added. "The security forces have detained about 100 people. Some of them were armed with machetes when they were arrested." A local radio journalist, who asked to re