Internecine rivalry behind killings of top leaders in Guinea-Bissau

DAKAR, March 3 (Chinese media) -- The president of Guinea-Bissau Joao Bernardo Vieira was assassinated by soldiers Monday, hours after an explosion killed the Western African country's army leader Batista Tagme Na Wai.

Followers of Na Wai, who blamed Vieira for the death of the army's chief of staff, were believed to have assassinated the 69-year-old president.

The latest tragedy was a culmination of the constant conflicts and internecine rivalry between the two dead statesmen and their followers over the past years in one of the poorest countries in the world.

LONG-STANDING RIVALRY AMONG TOP LEADERS

Vieira, known as "Nino," was one of the key leaders in fighting guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial rule in the 1960s, which contributed to the independence of Guinea-Bissau in 1974.

In 1994, Vieira won in the run-off presidential elections to become the first democratically elected president of the country. But he was forced into exile in Portugal in June 1999 after his forces surrendered in renewed conflict in Bissau.

Vieira returned to Guinea-Bissau in April 2005 and won another presidential election in July. He took office in October that year.

Na Wai, who had served in a military junta that toppled Vierirain the civil war in 1999, was appointed by the president as chief of staff of armed forces in 2006.

The army leader was known as a critic of Vieira's policy, including some of his appointments. Provocative exchanges of words were not rare between the two leaders.

In January, Na Wai filed a complaint against Interior Minister Cipriano Cassama, accusing him of ordering the presidential guard to shoot at him.

In his complaint, Na Wai said "elements, who supported Vieira during the 1998-1999 civil war, were recently integrated into the presidential guard," who opened fire at him on Jan. 4, around midnight, "under the orders of Cassama."

The president escaped an attack by renegade soldiers at his home on Nov. 23 last year, and he complained of Na Wai's refusal to rescue in the attack.

YEARS OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony with a population of1.5 million, has witnessed constant conflicts and military coups over the years.

The frequent coup attempts highlight the need to overhaul the country's over-staffed military.

With the help of the international community, Guinea-Bissau unveiled a reform program last year, under which the armed forces were to be reduced from at least 7,000 troops to 2,000 or 2,500 between 2008 and 2011.

Last November, the country successfully held a legislative election, when the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape-Verde (PAIGC) led by former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior claimed victory.

The international community placed high hope on the election, seeing it as an opportunity to lead the country out of the long-standing instability. But the killings have dashed that hope.

The African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Jean Ping Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination of Guinea-Bissau's president and the chief of staff.

These attacks came "at a time of renewed efforts by the international community to support peace-building efforts in Guinea-Bissau and consolidate progress in the political process in that country in the wake of the legislative elections of November 2008," Ping said.

WHERE THE COUNTRY IS HEADING?

Sources told Chinese media via the phone that calmness had restored to the capital Bissau.

However, the international community remains highly concerned about where the West African country is heading.

The armed forces of Guinea-Bissau said in a statement that the army respected the constitution order and there was no coup in progress in the country.

Military spokesman Zamora Induta said "We reaffirmed our intention to respect the democratically elected power and the constitution of the republic."

"The people who killed President Vieira have not been arrested, but we are pursuing them. They are an isolated group. The situation is under control."

According to Guinea-Bissau constitution, if the president dies, the parliament speaker will run the country for two months until new elections.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the community of Portuguese-speaking countries also said they would send delegations to the country.