HEAVILY-ARMED troops are manning strategic points in the capital Conakry after the head of Guinea’s military junta abruptly cancelled a trip to Libya, Reuters reported.
The news agency yesterday quoted one presidential source as saying that Moussa Dadis Camara went to the airport to board a waiting plane but after discussions with senior junta members decided to stay in Guinea, the world’s biggest bauxite exporter.
Conakry residents said troops erected barricades at a bridge leading into the city centre, around a major military base and outside the state radio and television buildings.
The residents said troops manning the barricades told them to get off the streets and go home. Two military trucks and three pickups were packed with heavily-armed troops driving through the capital.
Captain Mandjou Dioubate, a spokesman for the junta, said earlier on state television that Camara had cancelled his trip to Libya for scheduling reasons.
There was no immediate explanation for the increased security in the capital.
Camara, a relatively junior army officer, seized power in a December coup after the death of Guinea’s long-standing leader Lansana Conte, who ruled the West African country with an iron grip for more than 24 years.
Analysts say Camara’s power grab has alienated many of those who supported his coup as well as senior members of the military who have since lost some of the influence they held under Conte.
Speculation about rifts within the military and a counter-coup have increased in recent weeks amid growing frustrations over Camara’s rule.
Analysts say Camara’s power grab has alienated many of those who supported his coup as well as senior members of the military who have since lost some of the influence they held under Conte.
Speculation about rifts within the military and a counter-coup have increased in recent weeks amid growing frustrations over Camara’s rule.
Since coming to power, he has unnerved mining companies by threatening to cancel deals struck under Conte. He has also threatened to close gold mines run by foreign companies because of the harm they were causing to the local environment.