8 people slain in wave of protests

Protests erupted in towns across Guinea, killing at least eight people, as union leaders vowed to resume a crippling general strike after President Lansana Conte named a longtime ally prime minister.

Conte’s opponents said Eugene Camara, a senior member of the ruling party, was too close to the president to be a trustworthy head of government.

“We risk having to declare a state of emergency because the situation has virtually turned into an insurrection,” a senior government official said.

Unions had given the president until Monday to name a new premier, as he agreed to do in a deal struck two weeks ago to end an 18-day nationwide strike.