Concern at Guinea student deaths

The students are angry that the strike has suspended their exams

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has said he is deeply concerned about the deaths in Guinea's capital on Monday of some 10 students.

Mr Annan appealed to the authorities in Conakry to show restraint, after security forces shot dead protesters.

The students were demonstrating over the cancellation of end of year exams after many teachers joined a nationwide general strike over price rises.

Conakry and other major towns have been shut down for a seventh day.

Reports say security forces are patrolling the mostly empty streets.

On Tuesday, police fired teargas at people on barricades and burning tyres.

A statement from Mr Annan said there was a "need for the non-violent resolution of disputes and calls on the authorities to exercise restraint".

Sporadic gunfire could also be heard but eyewitnesses say police appeared to be firing above protesters' heads.

The students are angered at a strike which has led to the suspension of their exams; the government says they were manipulated by the opposition.

Price rises

Government spokesman Moussa Solano said the authorities regretted Monday's deaths, but blamed opposition parties for "orchestrating and manipulating" the protests, AFP news agency reports.

The BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Conakry says four people died there and three more in the northern town of Labe on Monday.

"Soldiers opened fire on a group of students who were marching on the governor's residence. Two people died there and a third student was killed at the Oumar Drame primary school," a witness of the violence in Nzerekore 970 km (600 miles) south-east of Conakry told Reuters news agency.

In Conakry on Monday, the students ransacked local education centres and set up barricades using school desks, chairs and tyres.

The teachers' action is part of a nationwide general strike which began last Thursday in protest at fuel and food price rises.

Nearly 100,000 students were due to sit their baccalaureate pre-university exams at the beginning of the week.

Unions began the industrial action in protest at massive increases in the price of fuel and other basic goods.

Police in Conakry said the protesters had attacked market traders who had broken the strike on Monday.