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Bissau, Oct. 12 (Lusa) - Guinea-Bissauan President ordered the cessation of all hostilities following fighting between rebel and loyalist troops that reportedly killed six soldiers last week. President João Bernardo Vieira also called for residents not to flee the captital.

Hundreds of residents left the capital of Bissau on Saturday, after fighting restarted on Friday between Guinea-Bissauan rebel soldiers and Senegalese troops backing Vieira.

Five rebels and one Senegalese soldiers were reportedly killed in the fighting, which lasted until Saturday.

Guinea-Bissau's rebellious ''military council,'' headed by Brig. Asumane Mane, and the government of President Vieira agreed on 26 July to cease-fire, which ended two months of heavy fighting in the former Portuguese overeseas province. The cease-fire was brokered by the Community of Portugese-speaking Countries and the Economic Community of West African States.-Lusa

Bissau, Oct. 12 (Lusa) - Joao da Costa, a prominent fighter for Guinea-Bissau's independence and pivotal opposition figure, died Sunday from prolonged illness in the town of Canchungo. Da Costa began breaking with the ruling independence movement party, the PAIGC, in 1991 and founded the Renewal and Development Party in 1993.

As a senior figure in the Union for Change coalition, da Costa helped lead the second biggest opposition force in the country's parliament. - Lusa

Bissau, Oct. 9 (Lusa) - The head of the delagation of Guniea-Bissau's rebellious ''military council'' to last month's peace talks in Abidjan, Emilio Costa, expressed in Bissau on Thursday hius dissatisfaction with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Costa said ECOWAS should have guaranteed his delegation's return from Abidjan to Bissau, something that the community ''unfortunately'' failed to do.

The delegation had been stradned in the Gambia for 24 days before it was able to return to Bissau on the joint diplomatic initiative of Portugal, France and Sweden on Thursday.-Lusa

The Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) has proposed that the next round of Guinea-Bissau peace negotiations take place in Cape Verde Oct. 13-15.

Cape Verdean Foreign Minister Jose Luis de Jesus told Lusa Tuesday that the proposal had been relayed to the co-mediators of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and that he awaited a response.

"The venue is not fundamental for us, but we think a place close to Guinea, such as Cape Verde, or even Gambia, would be more appropriate," given the travel difficulties of the rebel Military Junta's negotiating team, Jesus said.

Nigeria, a leading member of ECOWAS, has said it would like to host the talks. Jesus heads the CPLP's "contact group" in the negotiations. - Lusa

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