Guinea military chief killed two days before election

Tension is rising in Guinea, following the killing of senior army officer Col Mamady Condé.

It comes just two days before a presidential election in which President Alpha Condé is running for a controversial third term.

Armed men shot Col Condé dead in the early hours of Friday at a military camp in Kindia, 130km (80 miles) north-east of the capital, Conakry.

Residents of the nearby neighbourhood heard gunshots at 02:00 local time and heavy shooting continued for five hours.

There were reports of an attempted mutiny and that soldiers had seized weapons to free some of their colleagues who had been detained.

The minister of defence issued a statement saying that Col Condé had been killed.

The authorities said that the situation is now under control and that a search is under way to find the soldiers involved.

-The Star