Two shot dead by Guyana police

Police in Guyana have shot and killed two men believed to have been involved in a recent deadly attack on a village.

The men were shot in a nearby village while Guyana was observing a day of mourning for the earlier victims.

Six adults and five children died in the attack on Lusignan, east of the capital Georgetown, on Saturday.

Angry villagers staged a series of protests after the massacre against what they said were failures by the security forces to catch the gang.

Police believe that the gang had been acting on the orders of Guyana's most wanted man, Rondell Rawlins, who has accused the authorities of kidnapping his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend.

The gang were described by Police Commissioner Henry Greene as "roving bandits" who "have been wreaking havoc in our country".

Residents demanded greater protection from security forces

He said they were armed with machine guns when they were caught in an operation called "Restore Order" at their hideout in Buxton village, close to Lusignan.

Resident had blockaded Guyana's main east-west highway in the days following the gang's rampage, demanding protection from the police and military.

One soldier died and another was seriously injured in a fight between security forces and gang members of Wednesday.

The attack raised fears of racial strife in Guyana, as Lusignan is mostly ethnic Indian, while Mr Rawlins and his followers come from the ethnic African community.

The country's 760,000 population is almost evenly split between the two communities.

Police have offered a reward of $150,000 for the capture of Mr Rawlins, who is also wanted over the murder of a government minister in 2006.