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IRIN Focus on the elusive search for peace

Country Map - Guinea-Bissau IRIN
Locusts threaten to damage Guinea-Bissau's cashew nut trees

The death of General Ansumane Mane in late November and a declaration by the military that they intended to submit to the executive have not brought the peace that Guinea-Bissau needs, observers in Bissau say. There are many signs to the contrary and if the government of President Kumba Yala does not find adequate solutions, other political and social crises could erupt in the long run and even in the medium term, they say. Following the military operation that dislodged Mane from the Bra Barracks just outside Bissau, which became his headquarters when the political/military conflict broke out on 7 June 1998, the security forces began jailing various civilians illegally. Those detained—and later released—included six opposition politicians from the former ruling Partido africano para a independencia da Guine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), Alianca Socialista (Socialist Alliance) and Uniao para a Mudanca (UM - Union for Change). The politicians - including the presidents of the PAIGC, Alianca Socialista and UM, as well as UM’s secretary-general - were held for almost a week at a police station until a judge ordered their release for lack of evidence supporting the government’s claim that they had supported Mane’s action. Another sign of the political and social malaise in Guinea-Bissau came as Mane was being buried. The thousands of people who accompanied his remains to their final resting place shouted “Allahu Akbar” and slogans calling for justice in Guinea-Bissau as they marched through the streets of the capital. Neither the government nor the military high command was represented at the funeral. Mane was a member of the country’s Muslim community, which represents some 30 percent of the population of 1.1 million. He was also a hero of Guinea-Bissau’s liberation war against the Portuguese and his popularity appears to have grown following his death. AFP quoted a photographer as saying that selling his photograph had now become a lucrative business. Meanwhile, former interim president Malam Bacai Sanha told the media that he had received death threats and that he had been deprived of his bodyguards even though, by law, he has a right to such protection. He said security forces disarmed his bodyguards and evicted them from the houses they occupied. At the same time, a large number of soldiers accused of being supporters of Mane are in detention while workers at the state media have complained that information on the opposition is censured. Resources abound but instability fuels poverty Although it is endowed with natural resources, Guinea-Bissau is one of the world’s least developed countries (169th out of 174 nations listed in UNDP’s human development index) and has been heavily dependent on foreign aid. It is also highly indebted: its external debt of US $964 million in 1998 was five times its gross domestic product, according to the UNDP. Generally, its macroeconomic indicators are unenviable. Foreign investment has been on the decline. Bilateral cooperation depends on the government’s performance but also on political stability which, in Guinea-Bissau, has proved elusive. The country had started to show signs of economic recovery in 1998 when political and military conflict broke out between then President Joao Bernardo Vieira and Mane, whom Vieira had suspended as chief of staff of the armed forces. Mane formed a body called the Junta Militar and, after 11 months of fighting, overthrew Vieira who was backed by Senegalese and Guinean troops. A history of promises unkept The Military Junta’s victory in May 1999 was supported by most civilians, especially since Vieira had made the mistake of calling in foreign troops to help him. As on 14 November 1980, when Vieira seized power, the victors proclaimed the end of injustice. Guinea would be for all Guineans. The flag of change was hoisted. The new “liberators” co-governed Guinea-Bissau for about nine months with a team of civilians led by Bacai Sanha before handing over to an elected government in February 2000. However, relations between the former Military Junta and Yala’s government were rocky despite attempts by various mediators, including Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, to resolve the rift. Observers say there has been no attempt to define precisely the competencies of each section of the state. Parliament, for example, was never asked to find solutions so as to avoid the most recent crisis, which had been brewing for months. Yala consistently denied reports of a rift between him and Mane. Everything was going well between them, he said, denying that the military had ever become involved in politics. Subsequent events were to prove him wrong: on 20 November, Mane dismissed the chief of staff of the armed forces - appointed a few months before - and revoked military promotions Yala had made. He also proclaimed himself head of the military. This led to fighting between government loyalists and Mane supporters that resulted in Mane’s death, announced on 30 November. The opposition has charged that the armed conflict has been followed by persecution, illegal imprisonment and intimidation. The government has denied this. It says the rule of law has been restored in Guinea-Bissau and that nothing is abnormal. Once again, observers say, there is an absence of dialogue and also a lack of trust between the executive and the opposition. Uncertainty fuels exodus The uncertainty of the situation has affected the daily lives of the population. The exodus from Bissau that began as loyalists clashed with Mane’s supporters did not stop when the gunshots died down. Many people continued to leave the neighbourhoods around Bissau for the relative safety of the countryside, according to a platform of NGOs with structures on the ground. Most of the people who have been leaving are from the Mandingo and Beafada ethnic groups. Interior Minister Artur Sanha attributed the exodus to the unjustified fear that war might break out again. Other sources attribute the fears to intimidation and detentions carried out under the cover of night. Humanitarian agencies had wanted to draw up a plan to help people return to Bissau but found that, on the contrary, people were trying to leave town, sources said in early December. NGOs call for respect for basic rights NGOs recently issued a communique expressing satisfaction at the restoration of constitutionality. However, they expressed concern at the “arbitrary detentions” and drew attention to the need for soldiers and paramilitary forces patrolling Bissau’s neigbourhoods to be brought under control. They also said care should be taken that messages broadcast on national radio convey respect, tolerance and calm to the population. At a meeting with Yala, representatives of two trade union federations said they would not accept the undermining of constitutional order, reprisals and illegal detentions. Guinea-Bissau’s bar association welcomed the return to constitutional rule but expressed concern at the detentions and delegated lawyers to take up the cases of the detainees. Ansumane Mane’s coup de force has ended. However, televised images of his body sprawled at the back of a truck and his distorted face appeared to symbolise the suffering that has characterised a nation still struggling to achieve peace.


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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