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

Armed men shot Colonel Condé dead in the early hours of Friday at a military camp in Kindia, 130km 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 Colonel 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.

--BBC--