Portuguese assassinate Cabral

AMILCAR CABRAL, one of the most prominent leaders of the African struggle against colonialism, was assassinated on Sunday at his villa in Conakry, where he was the guest of the Guinean Republic.

Portuguese officials denied responsibility for the killing, and one senior Lisbon official said: "This is not our way of acting. We do not resort to violence of that kind.' mission.' However. Cabral's own organization, the African Independence Party of Guine and the Cape Verde Islands (PAIGC) stated: 'Portuguese colonialists preferred to assassinate Cabral to demonstrate their civilizing Guinean President Sekou Touré, announcing the murder over Conakry radio, said his assassins had been taken into custody. They were hired killers and professional subversives corrunted the Portuguese special services, he Portugal has powerful motive for the cowardly murer of Cabral, because th AIGC has won importar erritorial gains in its strugg › drive the Portuguese fascis out their Guine-Bissau According to Basil Davidson, writing prior to the assassination in the 'Sunday Times' Cabral's movement was on the verge of declaring an independent state of Guine-Bissau and applying for United Nations The capital, Bissau, and some f the surrounding areas ai till in Portuguese hands, b the bulk the country i uled by PAIGC through a net work of elected local and national committees.

According to Davidson: When I was in Guinea, th Portuguese governor and .commander chief, General Antonio Spinola, was warnings from besieged Bissau that his Atrican opponents mitary surprises spring some It may well be that the Portuguese decided to get i a blow against the PAIGC leadership in the hope of dis latined offensive and taking? vincețve revende on its Cabral (47) led the military struggle for the liberation ol Guine-Bissau from 1963. While