João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira

Who is João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira?

João Bernardo Vieira, widely known by his nickname "Nino", was born on 27 April 1939 in Bissau, in what was then Portuguese Guinea. Trained as an electrician, he joined the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and became one of Amílcar Cabral's most trusted military commanders during the 1963-1974 war of independence, rising to lead PAIGC forces on the southern front. After independence he held senior military and government posts under President Luís Cabral, but in November 1980 he led a coup that removed Cabral from power and installed himself as head of state, ruling through a Council of the Revolution. He later oversaw a transition to multiparty politics and won a closely contested presidential election in 1994, but was forced into exile after losing Guinea-Bissau's 1998-1999 civil war. He returned from exile and won the presidency again in 2005. His final term was marked by chronic political instability; on 2 March 2009 he was shot dead by soldiers at his Bissau residence, hours after a bomb attack had killed the army's chief of staff, General Batista Tagme Na Waie.

Sources: Encyclopedia.com, "Vieira, João Bernardo" · Global Dashboard, "Joao Bernardo Vieira - a turbulent life in a turbulent country" (2 March 2009)