Protests paralyse Cameroon`s capital and port city

Local journalists said one protester was killed by armed police on Wednesday in the southwest town of Buea. The unrest --the worst in over 15 years in the central African oil producer -- has killed at least seven people since it broke out at the weekend in the port of Douala, a major African shipping hub.

In his first public reaction to the rioting, Biya appeared on state television to accuse political opponents of fomenting the protests to try to topple him.

"The objective is to attain through violence what they were unable to obtain through the ballot box," the Cameroonian president said, sombre-faced and wearing a suit.

Biya said his government would use "all legal means" to guarantee the rule of law.

He said the riots had destroyed public buildings, shops and
businesses and caused a number of deaths, but gave no precise toll. Those involved had included "delinquents motivated by the prospect of looting", he said.

The rioting spread on Wednesday to the capital Yaounde after sweeping through western towns in the last four days.

Riot police fired tear gas at protesters in both cities, sometimes using helicopters to drop gas canisters from the air.

State radio appealed for calm, saying the government had agreed with union leaders to make cuts in gasoline and fuel prices, one of the key demands of the protesters. But people expressed outrage at the small size of the reductions.

In Yaounde, bands of stone-throwing youths blocked streets with barricades of burning tyres and timber. Businesses and shops closed and parents rushed to fetch their children from schools. Some vehicles were smashed and torched.

"Fed up"

Some protesters chanted slogans against Biya, whose announcement last month that he might seek changes in the constitution to prolong his mandate has angered many opposition supporters. "Biya has gone too far, he must go," shouted ...