A child of nine, hit by a stray bullet during a violent protest in the Guinean capital Conakry against the cost of fuel, died Tuesday, his family and the hospital where he was taken said.

The boy, the son of a local imam, was at home Monday when he was hit by a bullet when groups of youths were confronting security forces in the neighbourhood.

Clashes continued Tuesday in several parts of Conakry. Mobile and well-organised gangs of youths built barricades and threw stones at police who riposted with tear gas.

There were dozens of arrests but no injuries, according to reports.

Soldiers shot dead a police officer and wounded several people in Monday`s clashes.

The police officer, a new recruit, was watching the skirmishes between authorities and protesters when he was hit by a bullet in the chest fired by soldiers, according to the police.

Security and Civil Protection Minister Madifim Diane toured the most restive suburbs, police said, and asked senior figures in mosques to keep their children at home.

Military chiefs met President Lansana Conte but no details of the discussions were given.

Police took up positions at major crossroads and others patrolled in pick-up trucks to clear barricades. Warning shots could be heard and taxis stuck to a limited number of streets.

While Guinea has a vast mineral wealth with bauxite, iron, gold and uranium deposits, most of its nine million inhabitants live on less than a dollar a day.

Reeling from the twin effects of the financial crisis and the global rise in food prices, the lot of the poor has been exacerbated by spiralling inflation, estimated at 21.4 percent in August -- the latest month for which figures are available.