Monday, 2 March 2009
Guinea Bissau soldiers shot dead veteran President Joao Bernardo Vieira as he fled his home following the turmoil in which the army chief was blow up and killed. Guinea Bissau's army blamed Vieira for General Tagme Na Waie's death in a bomb attack on Sunday, Zamora Induta (military spokesperson) told Agence France-Presse.
It is still unclear if a coup is under way in Guinea Bissau.
Guinea - Bissau is a former Portuguese colony in West Africa. It is considered a key transit point for South American cocaine heading to Europe. Vieira was one of the leaders of the fight against the Portuguese rule. He led Guinea Bissau from 1980 to 1999 and from 2005 until his death.
The assassination comes after mounting tensions between the president and the military leader Na Waie who was killed last Sunday. The country's navy chief was accused of attempting to overthrow the government last year. Renegade soldiers attacked the presidential palace with automatic weapons in a failed coup attempt.
The African Union condemned the reported killing of President Vieira said Jean Ping, a senior official of the AU.
Huseyin Akturk
