Armed men have attacked and killed the commander of a military base in western Guinea, Reuters news agency is reporting quoting a statement from the country’s Defence Minister Mohamed Diané.
He provided few details about the attack in the city of Kindia but said the situation was now under control.
The death on the military commander comes two days before the West African country votes in a bitterly-disputed presidential election.
The timing of the incident is likely to raise alarm as voters head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to award President Alpha Conde a third term in office, following a campaign marred by violence and divisive appeals to ethnic identities.
Diané identified the commander who was killed as Mamady Condé, who led a battalion of commandos at the Somoreyah base.
A security source, who asked not to be named, said the assailants were dressed in military attire and seized arms and vehicles before fleeing the scene.
Kindia residents said a prison in the city was also attacked, wounding an official there and allowing several inmates to escape.
Conde’s candidacy for a third term after 10 years in power has drawn fierce criticism from his opponents, who say it violates the constitution.
Conde, 82, says he has the right to run again under a new constitution approved by referendum in March, arguing that it resets the clock on the two-term limit.
About 30 people were killed in protests before and after the referendum, and several people have been injured in clashes during the campaign between supporters of rival candidates.
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