No subject

refugee
attacks'

Guinea is home to about half a million refugees
Human Rights Watch has accused the Guinean government of inciting armed
attacks against Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees in the country.
The New York-based organisation released on Wednesday first hand
accounts
from women who say they were raped and from refugees whose homes were
looted.
Its report quotes one teenage mother as saying her baby was thrown to
the
floor and a soldier and one other man raped her before stealing most of
her
possessions.
At least one refugee is reported to have died in detention.
Guinea hosts about half a million refugees who have fled conflicts in
Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
Refugees leave
Human Rights Watch condemned President Lansana Conte's call on his
people to
protect the country from rebel attacks by Sierra Leonians and Liberians.

Conte: Believes refugees should go home
The call prompted an emergency evacuation as groups of Sierra Leoneans
who
were among thousands detained in Guinea at the weekend, begun returning
home.
They boarded boats at Conakry for the trip to the Sierra Leone capital,
Freetown.
Reports say only ticket-holders were being accepted on the boats, but
negotiations are taking place to allow a full-scale evacuation.
Crisis talks
President Conte has discussed the crisis with regional leaders.

He met Sierra Leonean President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and the chairman of
Economic Community of West African States, Malian President Omar Alpha
Konare.
President Kabbah said he had been assured by Mr Conte that the safety of
refugees from his country would be guaranteed.
He said both sides had agreed to do everything to prevent the
destabilisation
of each other's country.
He called on everybody to remain calm "as the situation is under
control."
President Konare has visited both Liberia and Guinea to help ease
tensions.
Liberia 'encouraged'
Liberian President Charles Taylor said he was encouraged by Mr Konare's
efforts.
"I think his coming will help to lower tension in the sub-region," Mr
Taylor
said after meeting the Malian leader.

Taylor: Aircraft on standby to evacuate Liberians from Guinea
"In this country we have issued strict instructions that no Guinean
national
should be touched. We believe that there should be reciprocity," the
Liberian
president added.
He said Liberia had air transport on standby to evacuate Liberians from
Guinea and said President Conte had a "moral duty" to protect Liberians
in
Guinea.
In a BBC interview, Mr Taylor said his country was prepared to exchange
security personnel and information that would lead to the arrest of
trouble
makers in both countries.
There have been reports of reprisal attacks against Guineans in
Freetown, and
troops surrounded the Guinean embassy in the Liberian capital Monrovia
after
threats on Guinean citizens there.
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