Teenage Deaths Trigger Riots in Guinea

Mobs rioted in the Guinean capital Conakry and in a mining town further north over the deaths of two teenagers in separate incidents, police and witnesses told Agence France Presse on Thursday.

A policeman in Fria, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the capital, said hundreds of youths "armed with sticks, clubs and even knives looted, ransacked and set fire to the police station" and two local government buildings on Wednesday.

He told AFP they were protesting against the killing by police of a teenager accused of possessing drugs.

Witnesses said the crowd ransacked the mayor's office and managed to break open the gates of the town's prison, allowing at least 20 inmates to escape.

Military and police reinforcements were deployed on the streets overnight.

In Conakry secondary school pupils took to the streets on Wednesday after the death of one of their classmates in a hospital, accusing doctors of "negligence".

Moussa Mara was hospitalized on Tuesday after being kicked in the stomach during a football match in his neighborhood.

According to a protester, the doctors demanded 300 euros ($410) from his family to treat the boy, but they were unable to pay.

His classmates stumped up the cash but Mara died on the operating table.

The students began throwing stones at the hospital, breaking windows and damaging cars, wounding several people including three doctors.

They gathered again on Thursday to demonstrate on the main roads of Conakry but were dispersed by riot police using tear gas and batons, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

Health Minister Remy Lamah expressed regret over the boy's death but condemned the violence.

Guinea is regularly rocked by violent protests from residents angered by the deterioration of public services, corruption and the brutality of police and security forces.