Guinea Bissau has declared its borders closed in a bid to restore security in the nation, news organisations reported Military Junta leader Ansumane Mane as announcing in a radio broadcast.
Mane said "many armed troops" loyal to the toppled president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, were still at large, according to AFP. A police official in Bissau told AFP that these soldiers "made off with many cars and are trying to cross into neighbouring countries". He said civilians feared the armed men, especially the presidential militia, known locally as the "aguentas", who were recruited from Vieira's Pepel ethnic group.
With the border closed, humanitarian aid cannot reach Guinea Bissau by land, although the World Food Programme told IRIN this week it had resumed airlifts. Other humanitarian sources told IRIN on Thursday that trucks with seeds, tools and fertilizers were unable to reach Guinea Bissau. The items are for distribution by the end of May to coincide with the early
June planting season.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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