Magistrates on strike as crisis deepens

There was no activity in Guinea-Bissau's courts on Tuesday as magistrates began a 30-day strike against the dismissal by President Kumba Yala of four members of the Supreme Court, including its president and vice president. The magistrates say the dismissals are null and void since the body mandated by the constitution to appoint or dismiss Supreme Court judges is the Higher Council of the Magistrature while the president's role is limited to swearing them in. Moreover, the Court's president and vice president are not chosen by the head of state but elected by their peers, so only they can vote them out. Relations between Yala and the judiciary have been deteriorating steadily in recent weeks. In late August, the regional court of Bissau deemed unconstitutional a decision by the president to ban the Ahmadiyya Muslim group and expel some of its leaders. Yala reacted by describing judges as corrupt. The Supreme Court said it intended to sue the President for interfering in the affairs of the judiciary, but Yala dismissed its vice president and two other juges in early September. He then dismissed its president last week, replacing him with the former director of his cabinet. Guinea-Bissau's parliament rejected the dismissals at the weekend. Sources close to the state told IRIN the legislators planned to hold an extraordinary meeting in early October at which a vote of no confidence could be passed against the president. The sources were unable to confirm speculation that Yala might dissolve parliament in order to preempt his destitution, in which case he would have to declare a state of emergency and rule by decree. In the meantime, one source said, "tension is very high in Bissau". The new developments do not augur well for the peace process in Guinea-Bissau, which has been dogged by insecurity in recent years. An 11-month war between forces loyal to then President Nino Vieira - supported by Senegalese and Guinean troops - and a self-styled Junta Militar ended in May 1999 with Vieira's overthrow. The Junta, lead by Brig-Gen Ansumane Mane (now late), co-governed Guinea-Bissau with civilians until Yala was sworn in following his victory at the second round of presidential elections in January 2000. Relations between the elected government and the former co-ruling Military Junta remained tense throughout 2000. Things came to a head in November when Mane rejected military appointments made by Yala - who is ex officio commander-in-chief of the armed forces - and took over the military. Fighting broke out between forces supportive of the former Junta and those loyal to the government. The loyalists regained the upper hand and, on 30 November 2000, Mane was killed. In March 2001 Yala faced another challenge, this time from his own Social Renovation Party (PRS) which pressed for the dismissal of then prime minister Caetano Intchama. Intchama, who was also opposed by other parties, was replaced as premier in March by Faustino Imbali, who heads a cabinet made up of individuals from various political groups.