Coup in Guinea-Bissau -Lusa News Agency
Sun September 14, 2003 05:25 AM ET LISBON (Reuters)

The military seized power Sunday in the tiny West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported. A military source told Lusa that President Kumba Yala was under arrest. Lusa said the head of the armed forces issued a statement asking the population to "avoid acts of vandalism." Troops were also seeking to detain Prime Minister Mario Pires, who is in the southern part of the former Portuguese colony, Lusa said. The military statement said the armed forces had seized power because Yala had been unable to resolve the country's problems, Lusa reported.

Those problems had worsened since Yala dissolved parliament in November 2002, the statement said. Elections were scheduled to be held on October 12. Guinea-Bissau is one of the world's poorest nations and has a population of about 1.1 million.