Paris ( CNN ) -- President Malam Bacai Sanha of Guinea-Bissau died early Monday , according to an official at the West African nation 's embassy in Paris . He was 64 . The official said Sanha was in Paris for treatment , and died at Val-de-Grace Hospital . Sanha became president in September 2009 , months after the assassination of President Joao Bernardo Vieira . Sanha had served as interim president and defeated another former president , Kumba Yala , in a runoff election . Guinea-Bissau 's history has been marked by military coups and attempted coups since the nation of 1.5 million gained independence from Portugal in 1974 . Those conflicts ravaged the nation 's infrastructure and economy and left it among the poorest in the world . Despite Sanha 's coming to power in what international observers deemed a fair and peaceful election , his tenure was marked by turmoil among the country 's military and political leadership . Last month , United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the use of violence in what was suspected to be a military coup attempt , saying in a statement , `` The primacy of the lawful civilian authorities according to the constitution must be respected . '' And , despite the Parliament 's call to fight drug trafficking , Guinea-Bissau is still considered an increasingly important transit point for cocaine en route from South America to Europe , according to the CIA Factbook .
President Joao Bernardo Vieira Sanha died at Val-de-Grace Hospital in Portugal on September 2009 . He became president in Monday in a runoff election . Val-de-Grace Hospital has been plagued by political unrest , poverty and drug trafficking .