Ailing president returns from private visit to Cuba, still smoking

President Lansana Conte of Guinea has returned from a 10-day private visit to Cuba, during which he was widely believed to have received medical treatment.

There was no official announcement of the president's return, but Conte, who left for Cuba on 15 October, was seen driving conspicuously through the capital Conakry on Saturday afternoon. Eyewitnesses said the 69-year-old leader, who was once persuaded by his doctors to give up smoking, was seen pulling hard on his favourite Malboro lite cigarettes.

Conte, a 69-year-old former army colonel, has ruled Guinea with an iron hand since he came to power in a 1984 coup. He is standing for a new seven-year term in elections on 21 December.

However, the president has been unwell for several years and is now seldom seen in public. Diplomats say he suffers from diabetes and heart problems and sometimes has difficulty walking.

Conte's trip to Cuba was preceded by a six-day private visit to Milan in Italy and Rabat in Morocco last month.