Conakry, Guinea  - The leader of a military coup in Guinea Thursday gave government ministers a deadline of 24 hours to hand themselves in to an army barracks or face being hunted down.

"If tomorrow arrives without them presenting themselves, we will organize a search across the entire country," the BBC reported Captain Moussa Dadis Camara as saying during a radio address.

Camara declared himself president on Wednesday evening after parading past cheering crowds in the streets of the capital Conakry.

Coup leaders on Tuesday announced that the government and constitution were suspended hours after the death of long-term President Lansana Conte.

They then named a national council made up of 26 military leaders and six civilians to replace the government.

Camara said that he has no interest in holding on to power and would arrange "free, fair and transparent" elections for 2010.

National Assembly President Aboubacar Sompare, who according to the former French colony's constitution should become interim president until an election is organized, and Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare have claimed they are still in charge.

However, it now appears that the junior military officers leading the coup have cemented their grip on power.

The European Union, African Union and United Nations have condemned the coup and called on all parties to respect the constitution and ensure a peaceful transition.

The AU's Peace and Security Council Wednesday held an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis and called on senior military officers to bring the junior officers staging the coup into line.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also condemned the coup and is expected to send a delegation later on Thursday.

Despite the coup's apparent success, analysts warned that months of uncertainty lay ahead.

"Expect ... a high possibility of further coups, counter coups and sham elections amid a period of ethnic and political disequilibrium," Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, an analyst at the New York-based Eurasia Group, said in a note.

There are also fears that the unrest could spread across the region, and neighbouring Liberia on Wednesday said it was beefing up security.

Conte took control of Guinea in a bloodless coup in 1984 and kept a tight grip on the nation until his death.

In recent years, however, Conte saw his leadership tested by a military mutiny, anti-government riots and strikes over the rising cost of food and fuel.

The leader was known to suffer from diabetes and was a heavy smoker. His exact birth date is not known, but he was believed to have been 74.

His funeral is due to take place Friday in his home village.

Guinea is still largely poverty-stricken despite having the world's largest reserves of bauxite, an ore used to make aluminum, and significant deposits of gold and diamonds. (dpa)