Nairobi/Lisbon/Bissau  - The African Union on Monday appointed former Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda as special envoy to Guinea-Bissau, which was plunged into crisis by the assassination of its president in early March.

President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira was shot dead in the capital Bissau on March 2, by soldiers who blamed him for killing of army chief Batista Tagme Na Wai only hours before.

Interim President Raimundo Pereira is to remain in charge until the summer, when elections are to be organized.

Human rights bodies have, however, accused the military of human rights' violations in recent weeks.

De Miranda, an attorney and former journalist, is charged with aiding the political process leading up to the elections. (dpa)