Unions demand end to martial law

Unions called off talks with the government aimed at ending protests in which more than 120 people have died, saying they would not negotiate until President Lansana Conte lifted martial law.

Union leaders had been due to meet senior government officials amid growing international calls for Conte to end his 5-day-old state of emergency and negotiate a political settlement with unions opposed to his 23-year rule.

The U.N. allocated $2.35 million from an emergency fund for humanitarian aid, saying the situation had increasingly become a source of concern.