G. Bissau: Prez candidate assassinated

  1. Posted on Friday 5 June 2009 - 11:49
    KingsleyKobo
    Image of KingsleyKobo
    Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
    Heavily armed men wearing military uniforms invaded the home of a candidate in Guinea-Bissau's upcoming presidential election and shot him dead, officials and family said Friday.
    flag_Guinea Bissau
    Baciro Dabo was sleeping next to his wife at around 4 a.m. Friday when the men broke into his residence and opened fire, killing him instantly, according to AP.

    Campaigning for the June 28 election was due to begin Saturday, and Dabo had resigned his post as territorial administration minister in mid-May and quit the ruling party to run as an independent candidate in the vote. He was one of the 13 candidates, but was not considered to have any chance of victory.

    A special vote pending general elections was organized after the West African country's president, Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, was assassinated March 2, just hours after his long-time rival, the head of the armed forces, was killed by a bomb. Dabo was considered close to Vieira and previously served as his interior minister.

    It was unclear what sparked the killing, but a statement issued by Guinea-Bissau's intelligence service said the assassination might have been linked to a failed coup plot it said was being organized by former Defence Minister Helder Proenca.

    Rumours were circulating in Bissau that Proenca had also been killed, but officials could not confirm the reports.

    Bissau was calm and there were no other reports of violence in the city on Friday.
    Ruling-party candidate Malam Bacai Sanha is believed to have the strongest chance of winning the vote.

    A former Portuguese colony, Guinea-Bissau has a long history of instability with numerous coups and attempted coups, most of which were led by the army.

Latest News

  1. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress11:50In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  2. Combating HIV infections among African women10:30With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  3. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  4. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  5. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  6. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  7. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  8. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  9. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  10. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  11. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  12. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  13. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  14. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
  15. Clashes in Senegal as Wade seek third term30/01Clashes have erupted in Senegal's capital Dakar and several other city cities ; after the Constitutional Council said President Abdoulaye Wade co…
News archive