Guinea-Bissau President Home After Treatment in Senegal

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 9:01 am (UTC-5)
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Guinea-Bissau's president has returned home after three weeks of medical treatment in neighboring Senegal.

State media say President Malam Bacai Sanha returned on Sunday. There was no immediate word about his condition.

Mr. Sanha was hospitalized in Dakar August 31. Officials did not say what prompted the treatment but the leader is known to have diabetes and trouble with hemoglobin levels in his blood.

During his absence, Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes said the country would offer asylum to ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, whose government invested heavily in Guinea-Bissau.

On Friday, Mr. Sanha distanced himself from the offer, releasing a statement saying the presidency is concerned about the prime minister's comments.

Guinea-Bissau, a small country on the West African coast, is known for chronic instability. Mr. Sanha was elected in 2009 to replace President Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was assassinated four months earlier.