> back to headlines
 Bissau rebel chief shot dead - Portuguese TV



LISBON (Reuters) - Former military junta chief Ansumane Mane, who tried to
lead an uprising against the elected Guinea-Bissau government, has been shot
dead, Portuguese state television RTP reported on Thursday.

RTP showed footage of the body of the former army general, who defied the
government of the tiny west African state earlier this month by declaring
himself head of the armed forces.

He was shot in the neck in a clash with loyalist troops near the town of
Quinhamel, 30 km (20 miles) north of Bissau, capital of the former
Portuguese colony, television said.

No further details of the circumstances of his death were immediately
available.

Mane had escaped from the capital with a few followers a week ago after his
attempt at a military revolt was thwarted when the bulk of the Guinea-Bissau
armed forces sided with the government in a dispute over promotions.

Since then, troops had scoured the impoverished Atlantic seaboard state
looking for the man who a year ago lead a successful coup against former
President Joao Bernardo Vieira.

The government of President Kumba Yalla has rounded up a number of officials
from opposition parties, accusing them of conspiring with Mane.

It had said that Mane, born in neighbouring Gambia, would not be harmed if
captured.

The Military Junta effectively ran the country from Vieira's overthrow until
Yalla took office after elections early this year. But although the junta
was supposed to have been dissolved, Mane continued to refer to himself as
"co-president" of the country.

Tensions between Mane and Yalla came to a head after the government ignored
his advice on military promotions and Mane sought to replace the country's
official military commander Verissimo Seabra, a former Junta ally.

Thousands of Bissau residents fled the city fearing a resumption of the
intermittent year-long civil war that preceded Vieira's overthrow.







 > back to top

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------