Africa

Home page

Africa

Guinea-Bissau president assassinated by military official

02 March 2009 10:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Guinea-Bissau soldiers killed President Joao Bernardo Vieira early Monday hours after a bomb attack which claimed the life of the West African country’s military chief, an army spokesman said.
"President Vieira was killed by the army as he tried to flee his house which was being attacked by a group of soldiers close to the chief of staff Tagme Na Waie, early this morning.
The president was "one of the main people responsible for the death of Tagme."
Vieira was trying to escape when he was "taken down by bullets fired by these soldiers.
Weeks of tensions between the president’s followers and the military leadership had erupted into clashes in the capital on Sunday.