FOCUS: Shaken Ghana faces rising political tension

The sight of soldiers firing warning shots to disperse rioting mobs after a soccer tragedy last week has rekindled unpleasant memories of military rule in Ghana.

But analysts said supporters of former president and two-time coupmaker Jerry Rawlings were wrong if they thought they could turn anger over the soccer stadium stampede into a movement to bring down the government.

The disaster, in which 126 people died, and violent protests which followed in parts of Accra have shaken the West African country, whose peaceful transfer of power earlier this year handed the continent a rare lesson in democracy.

The government says opponents of President John Kufuor, who took office in January after winning an election against Rawlings's party, are trying to whip up public anger over the tragedy for political motives.

A former minister and senior official of Rawlings's National Democratic Congress (NDC), who was detained on suspicion of having instigated the riots, was released on bail on Monday.

Youths attacked a police station, blocked roads and set fire to kiosks and tyres after survivors of Africa's worst soccer tragedy blamed police for triggering the stampede by firing teargas into Accra's packed national stadium.

Scores of armed soldiers were drafted onto the streets to restore calm -- something not seen in Accra since the last military coup in 1981.

SERIOUS TROUBLE UNLIKELY

Western diplomats said there were indications that the protests, in which some youths chanted for the return of the charismatic Rawlings, may have been less than spontaneous.

"There are elements to suggest that a minority of the protesters may have been encouraged or paid by members of the previous administration to chant those slogans and cause a bit of trouble," one diplomat said.

But he dismissed any suggestion that the trouble was a prologue to serious political disturbances.

"Things have been quiet since Friday and I really can't see a growing swell of revolutionary fervour."

Tensions between members of the new and old administrations have been rising steadily since Kufuor took office.

Several senior officials from the administration of Rawlings, who handed over to Kufuor after nearly two decades in power, have been investigated or detained in connection with corruption scandals.

Some are due to face trial this week and officials accuse the opposition of seeking to fan trouble to divert attention from their case.

"They know the net is closing on them and they want to change the headlines," a top presidential aide told Reuters.

The NDC denies all accusations.

"The NDC is not interested in precipitating a crisis in this country," it said in a statement on Monday.

"But we will use all legitimate means to resist the government attempts to create a police state."

Rawlings first seized power in the gold and cocoa-producing country in 1979, handing power quickly to an elected government.

But after that government lost popularity he came back two years later before embracing multi-party democracy in the 1990s.

He has done nothing to suggest he plans a third coming and has largely gone quiet since bowing out gracefully. He is currently out of the country and says he wants to lead a campaign against malaria.

In a rare public appearance earlier this month, however, Rawlings criticised Kufuor for bringing charges against his aides and said he was trying to divert attention for failing to keep electoral promises.

Analysts say there is no sign as yet that popular support for Kufuor is falling despite some painful economic decisions, such as a 60 percent hike in petrol prices.

But they warn that the government's aggressive stance over corruption in the previous administration could backfire.

"Kufuor must be careful not to be perceived as someone who is abusing the legal process for political ends," said Yao Graham, a former Rawlings associate and now an independent political analyst.