Guinea's opposition pulls out of talks with ruling party

CONAKRY, Guinea – Aboubacar Sylla, a spokesman for Guinea's coalition of opposition parties, announced that the country's opposition is pulling out of talks with the ruling party, negotiations initiated by President Alpha Conde last month in an attempt to resolve the political feud that has consumed the West African nation since the 2010 presidential election.

Sylla called the dialogue with the ruling party "pure folklore" and said that Conde's party has failed to make good on a series of promises, including releasing political prisoners.

For weeks, Guinea's capital has repeatedly been immobilized by violent protests. At issue are the upcoming legislative elections, which have been postponed for years. Conde was elected in a deeply divisive 2010 presidential election. Though deemed the country's first democratic election, the vote devolved into ethnic riots.