By Lansana Fofana
FREETOWN, Dec 17 1998 (IPS)

The government in Guinea has delayed the announcement of the results from this week’s parliamentary and presidential polls following the detention of the country’s main opposition leader.

Alpha Conde of the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), who was one of the strongest contenders against the incumbent President Lansana Conte, was reportedly arrested by the state security on the Guinean border with Liberia on Wednesday. The Guinean authorities claimed he was trying to cross the border into Cote d’Ivoire.

“Conde knows that land and sea borders are still closed and attempting to cross the border is a violation of the law,” a press release from the Ministry of Interior said. The borders were closed during the elections on Monday and the authorities said they would reopen on Dec. 20.

According to the government statement, “a large cache of arms also was discovered in the place where Conde was arrested”, and the government has linked this development to alleged plots to destabilise the country.

About four months ago, Guinean dissidents led by Colonel Gbago Zoumanigui launched sporadic attacks on border towns and villages, burning houses and killing civilians.

Zoumanigui was the military officer who led a 1996 mutiny in Conakry to unseat President Conte. The mutiny was crushed by pro- government forces with some officers killed or detained.

Zoumanigui and a few others managed to flee into exile and are now believed to have put together a fighting force, which is trying to sack the administration in Conakry.

The rebels had threatened to disrupt Monday’s (Dec.14) presidential and legislative polls.

Guinea’s umbrella organisation for opposition groups in the country, the Coordination of the Democratic Opposition (CODEM), has dismissed the allegations against Conde saying that the RPG leader had gone to a border town “to rest after the tortuous election campaign and voting”.

While the elections went off without any violence being reported around the country, the arrest of Conde and the delay in the announcement of the election results, threaten to raise tension in the West African nation.

On Wednesday, Conde’s supporters took to the streets of the capital Conakry chanting anti-government slogans, waving banners and mobilising more people.

“We can only restrain our supporters from going on the rampage, but clearly the government’s action is undemocratic,” said Alpha Sowe, Conde’s campaign manager.

“We are therefore demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Alpha Conde, because we believe his continued detention could mean trouble for our country,” the opposition said in a statement.

It is not immediately known where Conde is being held, or whether the authorities will charge him in court. Conde returned to the country after three years in France just a week before the elections.

The opposition said that any further delay in announcing the results may give the ruling Unity and Progress (PUP) Party room to manipulate the results. Conte’s government however, has dismissed these allegations.

Reports from Conakry Thursday said that the government has reinforced security in the capital and other big cities in the provinces. More troops from the military and police have been deployed, and according to journalists in Guinea, army tanks also have been stationed at strategic points in the capital.

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