Rebel soldiers have attacked the presidential residence in Guinea Bissau, killing at least one person and wounding another. Reports from the capital Bissau say President Joao Bernardo Viera was not hurt, and that troops loyal to him had regained control.

The abortive uprising comes a week after elections in the tiny West African state which were won by the ruling party. The elections are the latest step in re-building the country, which was devastated by civil war ten years ago.

Guinea Bissau is a former Portuguese colony. It has been plagued by a series of violent coups, uprisings and army mutinies. In recent years it has gained international notoriety as a transit point for South American cocaine heading for Europe.

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