Activists raise alarm about E. Guinea elections

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AP) — Human rights groups are expressing concern about the fairness of legislative elections taking place later this month in Equatorial Guinea.

The tiny country is home to Africa's longest serving strongman, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

On Monday, Amnesty International, EG Justice, and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement saying they are already worried about how level the electoral playing field will be.

The groups cited the country's history of politically motivated arrests and lack of freedom of speech. The government has denied requests from opposition parties to hold political rallies.

Activists also are criticizing restrictions being placed on foreign observers who want to monitor the May 26 vote.

Obiang, who first seized power in a 1979 coup, has insisted that his government is committed to holding fair and democratic elections.

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Meningitis outbreak kills at least 40 in Guinea

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Health officials say a meningitis outbreak has killed at least 40 people in the West African nation of Guinea.

Conde Lansine, a doctor in the eastern city of Siguiri, said Tuesday it is feared that far more people are dying in remote villages and are not included in that toll.

Siguiri, near the country's border with Mali, has been the hardest-hit community, and Lansine said it was believed that hundreds may have died since January.

Eastern Guinea is hit annually with meningitis cases, though doctors say this year has been much deadlier.

Meningitis is an infection of the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Even when the disease is caught early and treatment is started, up to 10 percent of patients die within two days.

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Strong, shallow earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — A powerful earthquake shook Papua New Guinea's northern coast Wednesday morning, but there was no threat of a widespread tsunami in the Pacific.

The shallow magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck about 19 kilometers (11 miles) east of the small town of Aitape, where disaster authorities have not been able to contact people yet.

It's possible that residents headed to higher ground as soon as they felt the earthquake and were not immediately reachable, said Chris McKee, the assistant director of the Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby.

He said there were no reports or indications of a tsunami.

He said people in the town of Vanimo, about 145 kilometers (89 miles) from the epicenter reported they had felt the quake strongly. There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, based on historical data, a quake of this strength has the potential to generate localized tsunamis within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was at a depth of 13 kilometers (8 miles), which is relatively shallow. Shallow quakes can potentially cause more damage at the surface.

Papua New Guinea is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

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Guinea: Opposition to protest election date

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The Guinean opposition on Sunday called for a march to protest President Alpha Conde's announcement that elections will be held on June 30.

Opposition supporters will hold a peaceful demonstration in the capital, Conakry, on April 18 to protest the date of the elections, said Aboubacar Sylla, spokesman for the Guinean opposition.

"We are determinated to bar the way to any attempt of fraud perpetrated by the government. We will walk to express our dissatisfaction on Thursday to deal with this unilateral decision of the authority to set the date while negotiations are ongoing," said Sylla.

The presidential decree was read Saturday evening on national television following months of negotiations over the vote.

The West African country has not had a functioning parliament for four years, and it only held its first democratic presidential election in 2010. Disagreements over the electoral process already have spilled over into violent protests.

Originally the vote was scheduled for May 12, but the opposition said it was pulling out because of concerns over election procedures.

Guinea suffered decades of dictatorship and strongman rule before the 2010 vote. Ethnic tensions, however, have risen in the deeply impoverished country since the landmark election.

Guinea's 10 million people are among the world's poorest, even though the country has resources of diamonds, gold, iron and half the world's reserves of the raw material used to make aluminum.

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Guinea: Attacks on 2 private radio stations

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A journalists' association in Guinea says that two privately-owned radio stations have been attacked, as political tensions rise before Guinea's legislative elections on May 12.

The Union of Free Radio and Television of Guinea said Monday that the Renaissance FM station was attacked on Sunday and the Planet FM radio station was shot at on Friday when Faya Millimo, leader of the opposition Liberal Bloc, was being interviewed at the station.

Also, anti-riot used tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters in Labe, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of the capital, Conakry, and in Mamou, about 333 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of the capital.

Two civilians and one police officer have been killed in a series of anti-government demonstrations that rocked the capital over the past two weeks.

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Guinea police fire tear gas at march, many injured

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Officials say security forces fired tear gas at protests that turned violent after opposition marchers started throwing stones in Guinea's capital.

Government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara said Wednesday that at least 18 security personnel were injured. Opposition spokesman Mouctar Diallo said at least 9 Guineans were also injured.

Police official Capt. Lamine Sano said police tried to disperse those demonstrating because they feared further violence. He said opposition supporters were marching and throwing rocks in a Conakry neighborhood that is home to the ruling party.

A spokesman for Guinea's opposition said that it has withdrawn from the upcoming legislative election set for May 12 because the opposition is unhappy with preparations for the election.

President Alpha Conde was elected in 2010, but the vote for the legislature has been delayed.

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Guinea opposition pulls out of election

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A spokesman for Guinea's opposition says that it has withdrawn from the upcoming legislative election set for May 12.

Faya Millimono said the opposition coalition was pulling out to protest the government's administration of the election procedure.

He said the opposition is unhappy with preparations for the election, especially the selection of a South African company, Waymark, to draw up the list of registered voters. The company was approved by the National Electoral Commission last week and the opposition immediately protested, saying they suspected the company was open to manipulation by the government.

The election was to solidify the West African country's transition to democratic rule, after rule by the military since 2008. President Alpha Conde was elected in 2010, but the vote for the legislature has been delayed.

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