Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Guinea-Bissau

Government frees POWs

    ABIDJAN
    Guinea Bissau freed 177 prisoners of war on Wednesday, in a measure it said was designed to move former civil war foes toward reconciliation, news reports said. The prisoners, all of junior rank, were released at a ceremony in the Bissau headquarters of the former army mutineers who toppled President Joao Bernardo Vieira in May. Quoting officials, Reuters said more prisoners would be released in a few days. These would not include senior officers loyal to Vieira, who are were being held far from the capital, Bissau. Originally 307 soldiers were reportedly due for release but the number was scaled down, the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reported. It did not say why.

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join