Ex-strongman reported to be at large

Guinea-Bissau’s former strongman, General Ansumane Mane, was reported to be still at large on Monday after an aborted attempt last week to take command of the military. There had been reports on Friday that Mane had surrendered to - or been captured by - forces loyal to President Kumba Yala, but these turned out to be erroneous. Mane sparked a crisis a week ago when he overturned military promotions Yala had made, announced the dismissal of chief of staff Verissimo Correia Seabra and proclaimed himself head of the military. Following clashes with his supporters on Wednesday and Thursday, loyalist forces regained control of Bissau. Mane and some of his men then fled the city. About 73 soldiers who supported Mane during last week’s clashes have since given themselves up following an appeal by the bishop of Bissau, Jose Camante, and the representative of the UN Secretary-General in Bissau, Samuel Nana Sinkam, a UN official in Bissau told IRIN. He said the men were assured that their security would be guaranteed. They reported to churches or mosques, from where they were collected by Bishop Camante and Nana Sinkam, members of a mediation group and the police. They were later delivered to the Guinea-Bissau authorities. However, up to Monday afternoon, there was no indication that Mane had surrendered. Meanwhile, AFP reported on Monday that about 108 other men who had supported Mane were also in the hands of the authorities. The French news agency said they were separatists from Casamance in southern Senegal - an armed group called the Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) has been fighting for independence for the area about two decades. Media organisations reported that a number of opposition politicians were detained on Friday. Portuguese radio reported Yala as saying on Sunday that they had been placed under house arrest because they sided with the mutineers during last week’s clashes or on suspicion that they had prior knowledge of, encouraged or backed Mane’s decision to take over the country.