Guinea-Bissau’s military junta forms new government while ousted president Umaro Sissoco Embalo arrives in Brazzaville following Wednesday’s coup
BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau’s military junta formed a new government on Saturday just days after seizing power in a coup.
The development came as ousted president Umaro Sissoco Embalo arrived in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo.
Military forces took control of the Portuguese-speaking West African nation on Wednesday, one day before provisional election results were due for announcement.
The junta appointed 28 people to lead the transitional government, including five army officers and four women.
Meanwhile, the country’s leading opposition party reported its headquarters had been “invaded by heavily armed militia groups” according to a PAIGC statement.
Clashes also broke out between young people and police in suburban areas of the capital.
Speculation surrounds the coup’s true motives, with some suggesting it was carried out with Embalo’s blessing.
Those suspicions intensified when the junta named General Horta N’Tam, considered a close ally of the president, to head the one-year transitional administration.
N’Tam urged the new government to “fight against corruption and drug trafficking” after previously citing a drug baron plot to justify the takeover.
Opposition figures and experts however suggest Embalo orchestrated the coup to halt the electoral process.
Embalo initially left for Senegal after being briefly arrested during Wednesday’s military takeover.
Sources in the Congolese government confirmed Embalo arrived in Brazzaville on Saturday morning via private jet.
A presidency source indicated the 53-year-old leader, who had claimed election victory, intended to remain in Congo-Brazzaville.
The opposition PAIGC reported militia fighters “proceeded to expel all the people who were there, break down office doors and seriously violate the integrity of the facilities”.
Fernando Dias, who ran against Embalo, claimed Thursday he had won the election in the first round and accused the president of orchestrating the coup.
Dias has since gone into hiding within the country.
Political researchers suggest high-level turf wars over control of illegal drug smuggling networks may have contributed to the instability.
Guinea-Bissau has become a key transit point for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe, earning it the “narco-state” label from some analysts.
The nation has now joined Burkina Faso, Mali, Madagascar, Niger and Sudan on the list of states suspended from the African Union following coups. – AFP
