Guinea Bissau Foils Coup Attempt: Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 04, 2001

Guinea Bissau Foils Coup Attempt: Official

Guinea-Bissau Interior Minister Alamara Nhasse said on Monday that local security forces had prevented an attempted coup against President Kumba Yala in the west African country on Sunday, acording to reports Monday.

Security forces were in the afternoon searching districts close to Bissau's airport, looking for people allegedly implicated in the plot, the reports said.

The capital of the small west African country was calm on Monday and there were no signs of panic among residents, the reports said.

No more details were immediately available from the tiny former Portuguese colony, which has been rocked by unrest since an army rebellion in 1998.

The former Portuguese colony has been unstable politically, economically and socially. Residents of Bissau in 1998-99 had to put up with 11 months of an armed confrontation which ended in the overthrow of President Joao Bernardo Vieira.

Yala was democratically elected head of state in January 2000.

In November last year, Yala's government survived a coup bid by General Ansumane Mane, the former army chief who had ousted Vieira. Mane was tracked down and killed by troops loyal to Yala.