Guinean Troops Hold Army No. 2 Hostage

Junior officers angry over unpaid wages were holding the army's second-ranking official hostage in a military barrack Tuesday, as a military revolt entered its second day.

A member of the country's presidential guard and a family member of a high-ranking military official both confirmed that Gen. Mamadou Sampil, the army's second-in-command was taken hostage by junior officers Monday night at the Alpha Yaya Diallo camp, the country's largest military barracks. He was still being held Tuesday morning.

"He is in the hands of the junior officers. But he is not being mistreated. There has been no violence towards him," said the member of the presidential guard, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The son of one of the country's highest ranking military officials confirmed the account, but asked not to be named for the same reason.

The military revolt that began at the barracks on Monday morning had spread by evening to Camp Boiro, the headquarters of the country's Republican Guard. Tuesday morning, shots were still ringing out from the Republican Guard's compound, said Fatoumata Sanoh, a resident of the neighborhood contacted by telephone. But residents of the neighborhood surrounding the Alpha Yaya Diallo camp said the gunfire at the barracks had stopped.

The soldiers mutinied after rumors began spreading that the officers would not be receiving the full back pay they believe they were promised by former Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate.

Kouyate came to power last year following deadly demonstrations led by Guinea's unions. The unions wanted to force President Lansana Conte to step down. Conte managed to maintain his grip on power by agreeing to name a prime minister from a list approved by the unions.

But last week, in a move that angered the unions, Conte announced through a decree read on television that he had fired Kouyate.

The soldiers that took part in the revolt, shooting rounds into the air, said Kouyate had promised them 5 million Guinean francs (around US$1,100) in back pay. After Kouyate's firing, rumors began circling that the government intended to pay only a fifth of that.

In a communique issued on state-run radio Monday night, the government said the officers had already been paid 2 million Guinea Francs (around US$450) and that that was the sum they are owed. The communique called on the rioting soldiers to return to their barracks.

Guinea, located on Africa's western coast, has vast reserves of timber, gold, diamonds and bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum. Yet it is consistently listed as one of the world's poorest countries, a testament to the misrule of its elite.