Guinea protests over power-cuts

Hundreds of angry youths have demonstrated against a series of black-outs in the Guinea capital, Conakry.

The demonstrators gathered in the Ratoma district of Conakry, burned tyres and chanted slogans such as "We want light, we want water".

Since the beginning of the year, Conakry has been paralysed by continuous power-cuts.

The outages usually start at 0700 local time (0700 GMT) and, in most parts of the city, electricity is not restored before midnight.

Only administrative sections of the capital and areas where government ministers and other officials live, enjoy a 24-hour electricity supply at the moment.

Low rainfalls

The youths were chased and eventually dispersed by the police who fired tear gas into the crowd, but not before the demonstrators had stoned and damaged government property, including cars and windows on public buildings.

Several demonstrators suffered injuries and some arrests were made.

The crime rate has been on the increase during the black-outs, and only two days ago, the security minister decreed new measures that will see security personnel patrolling the city as from Saturday.

Officials at the electricity company say the shortages are a result of the fall in water levels in the country's two main hydro-electric dams, which are supposed to supply the entire country with electricity at this time of year.

They say last year's record low rainfalls have created the problem.

But some Guineans put the company's poor performance down to the recent termination of a contract that would have seen it merge with a French power operator.

Since the pull-out by the French company in the middle of last year, the electricity supply situation here has remained erratic at best - and this latest run of black-outs has been the worst for a long time.