Former Guinea-Bissau PM Carlos Correia dies at 87

Former Guinean prime minister and leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) Carlos Correia has died aged 87. The party announced on Saturday that he died following an illness.

Mr Correia, was one of the first PAIGC leaders to receive higher education during the struggle for independence.

The agronomist was prime minister of Guinea-Bissau between 1991 and 1994, between 1997 and 1998, in 2008 and between 2015 and 2016.

According to the party, Mr Correia was an "example of nationalism and patriotism, based on rigor, responsibility and transparency in everything".

"In politics, with distinct fidelity, sincerity and loyalty. In governance, with singular rigor and honesty," said the PAIGC.

Party’s hero

In the statement, the PAIGC appealed to all its militants, officials and leaders to "pay tribute and homage to the one who will forever remain a hero of the party's cause and of Guinea-Bissau".

In a message released Saturday, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló remembered the former prime minister as a "patriot" and a "dedicated servant" of the State.

"In his long political career, Carlos Correia has distinguished himself as a patriot, a respected public figure and a dedicated servant of the Guinean State", President Embaló said.