Guinea Bissau to mourn first president

  1. Posted on Tuesday 2 June 2009 - 09:10
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Kamara Mohammed, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    Guinea Bissau first post independence President Luis Cabral has died in Portugal's capital Lisbon at the age of 78 years. The Guinean authorities have announced that they will hold an emergency meeting to organize a three days period of national mourning. He became President for six years from 1974 to 1980.
    guinea bissau map
    Cabral was overthrown by Joao Bernardo Vieira, prime minister under his administration who was also assassinated by disgruntled members of his army earlier this year.

    The government announced in a statement that "it is with shock and sadness that the government and people of Guinea-Bissau have learnt of the loss of one of their most illustrious sons, Luis Cabral," according to the AFP news agency.

    Cabral’s half brother who led the African Party of Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde movement was assassinated in 1973. Cabral took over the movement and led that country to independence from Portugal a year later.

    According to report he was described during the Liberation struggle as an eternally "optimistic and enthusiastic leader". He could be remembered for providing education for most Guinean’s during his term of office. Cabral went into exile in Cuba before proceeding to Spain were he was reported dead earlier on Monday.

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