The public in the west African nation has gone crazy for real-life action from the front, but as one of the poorest countries in the world, only a very few can afford satellite dish receivers.

Smart operators of the smaller theatres have pulled their standard B-movie fare and set up giant TV screens instead.

An enthralled public can follow latest developments on a major international channel for just 150 or 200 CFA francs (0.23 or 0.30 euros) per news show.

Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony, so naturally enough the most popular news shows packing in crowds in the many tiny movie theatres around town are from the Portuguese RTP channel.

But it is closely rivalled by French-speaking channels TV5 and CFI (Canal France International).

Even the capital's two biggest movie theatres, the "Benfica" and the "Sporting," have stopped screening movies during peak newscast times.

"Receipts are 10 times better than when we screen a movie," said Benfica manager Laurent Gomes.

"Since the war started, I've doubled my turnover especially when the 8 pm showings by TV5 and CFI are on," said Sellou Diallo, manager of one of the smaller theatres.

"Seats sold have gone up from 30 before the war started to 65 since the start of the crisis and there seem to be more and more viewers every day," he said.

"If the war goes on till June I'll be a millionaire and I'll be able to go home for good to Conakry," joked another theatre manager who is an expatriate from the neighbouring larger state of Guinea to the south of Guinea-Bissau.

His little cinema is patronised by French speakers from neighbouring French-speaking countries, and he has set up two giant screens showing the latest news by the RTP and CFI channels.

Even some of the privileged few in this poverty-stricken town rich enough to own their own satellite receivers have begun to exploit the situation and opened up their homes to the public, doing a roaring trade in beer on the side.

WAR.WIRE