Guinea Bissau president assassinated

It is being reported that the President of Guinea Bissau has been assassinated in a gun attack.

A spokesman for the west African state’s armed forces was quoted as saying President Joao Bernardo Vieira was killed by a group of soldiers as he tried to flee his home. Gunfire has also been reportedly heard around the capital Bissau.

If confirmed, the assassination comes hours after an army chief and five other officers were killed on Sunday.

It is not yet clear if a coup has been launched but the former Portuguese colony, one of the world’s poorest states, has a history of military takeovers.

Last November the presidential palace in the capital Bissau came under attack in a failed coup attempt.

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tags: Guinea-Bissau, President