Washington  - The United States on Monday called for an end to the violence in the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau following the slaying of the nation's president.

"We call for a cessation of violence and the conduct of government under peaceful means and that the perpetrators of these crimes should be brought to justice," State Department deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid said.

Army soldiers apparently stormed President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira's residence on Monday and shot him dead, reportedly blaming him for the death of Army chief General Tagme Na Wai in a bombing over the weekend.

It remained unclear who was in control of the country of 1.5 million people. dpa