Helder Proença

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Helder Proença (died June 5, 2009) was a Guinea-Bissauan politician who served as Minister of Defense of Guinea-Bissau during the administration of President João Bernardo Vieira.[1]

On June 5, 2009, Proença, who was a member of the National People's Assembly at the time,[2] was shot and killed by government security forces on a road connecting the northern town of Bula and with Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau.[1] Baciro Dabó, a politician and presidential candidate in the June 2009 presidential election, was also killed by government soldiers on the same day.[1] A third politician, former Prime Minister Faustino Imbali, was also arrested.[2] Proença's driver and bodyguard were also killed in the attack.[2]

In a statement, the Interior Ministry of Guinea-Bissau accused Proença, Dabó and Embali of being part of the alleged coup plot.[1]

Portugal's state-run news agency, Lusa, reported that Proenca's body was taken to the morgue at the Simao Mendes Hospital in Bissau following his killing.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Guinea-Bissau poll candidate killed". Al Jazeera English. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  2. ^ a b c Nossiter, Adam (2009-06-05). "2 Politicians Are Killed in Guinea-Bissau". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-14.