3 March 2009
Lagos — Renegade soldiers yesterday shot President Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea Bissau dead following the death of the country's Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Batiste Tagme Na Waie, who was last Sunday killed in a bomb explosion.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that the soldiers killed Vieira when he was planning to flee his private house after the death of Waie. The army denied there was a coup in the country, but confirmed that the killing of Vieira was a reprisal to Waie's death.
Portugal, Guinea Bissau's colonial master, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), European Union (EU) and Africa Union (AU) have condemned the killings, describing it as "undemocratic, cowardly and heinous attacks".
ECOWAS Chairman, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, has directed a delegation comprising ministers from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Gambia and Senegal to promptly intervene.
Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, is leading the delegation mandated "to ensure constitutional succession in Guinea-Bissau."
But BBC quoted the country's military spokesperson, Col. Zamora Induta, that Vieira was accused of being responsible for the death of Waie, with whom he had fallen out in the recent time.
Induta told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that President Vieira "was killed by the army as he tried to flee his house which was being attacked by a group of soldiers close to the Chief of Army Staff early on Monday's morning.
"This was not a coup d'etat. We reaffirmed our intention to respect the democratically elected power and the constitution of the republic. The people who killed President Vieira have not been arrested, but we are pursuing them. They are an isolated group. The situation is under control."
The country's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr. said: "The fact that the military did not go through with a coup deserves praise. The military showed their patriotism by not seizing power. Both Vieira and Waie will receive state funerals."
Both Portugal and AU called for the restoration of order. Portugal demanded the restoration of constitutional rule and called a meeting of the community of Portuguese-speaking countries in Lisbon on Monday to discuss the situation.
Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Luis Amado, said: "We have been in direct contact throughout the night with the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau precisely to guarantee that the process does not slide into a situation of generalized conflict."
ECOWAS Commission President, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, said the delegation has a common position and that members are firmly behind the actions of President Yar'Adua to send a strong signal to the Armed Forces and other security agencies that ECOWAS expects a quick constitutional order to be restored in the conflict-troubled country.
In a statement, Yar'Adua said: "He has received with deep concern and sadness the news of the assassination of President Vieira and Waie in Guinea-Bissau," adding that, "The murder of President Vieira and the Chief of Army Staff are condemned in the strongest terms as reprehensible as acts that undermine democracy, peace and stability in Guinea-Bissau."
"The fragile political situation in Guinea-Bissau has been further weakened. This is regretted as it comes at a time when the West African region is making a forward march in the development of democratic governance.
"Yar'Adua has emphasised the importance of constitutional succession to the presidency after the unfortunate events. He called on the Armed Forces and other security agencies in Guinea-Bissau to desist from any action likely to plunge the country into further lawlessness and political instability.
"All peace-loving people of Guinea-Bissau are called upon to exercise a high sense of responsibility and moderation in their actions and utterances at this critical and testing period in their national life," Yar'Adua stated.
Reuters said small arms fire and heavy weapons were heard in Bissau city in the early hours of yesterday.
Most residents stayed at home as it was unclear who was in control of a nation that has become a key transit point for drug smuggling.
Mr. Sandji Fati, a retired army colonel and close associate of the slain president, confirmed the death of Vieira, adding that his wife "is at the Angolan embassy".
Fati said Vieira was killed when he refused to go with Angolan diplomats who took his wife to safety. Security sources and residents who live near the president's house confirmed Vieira had been killed at home.
Guinea Bissau's succession is the third in the last one year in the region following the military take-over in Mauritania by Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and in Republic of Guinea by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara in August 7 and December 23 respectively.
Made up of 1.6 million people, the country has endured years of political instability since independence in 1974. This has been fuelled in recent years by the country's emergence as a key transit point in the smuggling of Latin American cocaine to Europe.
Vieira was a former military ruler who was ousted during a civil war in the 1990s and returned to power in a 2005 election.
He had been at odds with Waie, who was killed in an attack last Sunday that also destroyed part of the military headquarters. A security source said soldiers from Waie's Balante ethnic group led the attack on Vieira, who is from the smaller Papel community and looted his home afterwards.
Tensions are rife within Bissau's political establishment and security forces. A 400-strong force had been recruited as Vieira's personal bodyguard by the Interior Ministry after the president was targeted in a machinegun and rocket-propelled grenade attack on his residence on November 23, last year.
Analysts said political instability "has been exacerbated in the past few years as Latin American drugs gangs have taken advantage of Guinea-Bissau's poorly policed coastline and remote airstrips to smuggle cocaine through Africa to Europe.
"Well-resourced drug cartels with access to weapons, speedboats and planes have been able to secure cooperation from senior officials in the armed forces and government in one of the world's poorest countries, whose main export is cashew nuts," analysts reacted.
From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja and Gboyega Akinsanmi in Lagos with agency reports
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should the people of G.Bissau remain ignorant killing of people every time.let the world make help to the people of Bissau to promote education,the reason behind all this killings and uncontable coup attempt is due to ignorance.TELL THEM TO GO TO SCHOOL AND GET EDUCATED. Best regards from sonko G.B.
Nonsense, what do you know about Guiné Bissau and his people. Please don't talk about things that you don't know and you don't understand. The people of GB are 1.5 million and are good people and not ignorant as you say. People doing this are few criminals. I wonder who is ignorant the people of GB or yourself. If you were an educated person I doubt you would say such things. It would be interesting to know where are you from. Best Regards from Uguiss Yeh a Bissau Guinean
Africans should dismiss any further Portuguese meddling; because those evil European colonialist crooks are directly responsible for creating destructive situations of 'divide and dominate' in African countries. The evil European's FORCING of different African ethnic groups upon each other in one country, is the root of almost all African internal conflicts. And most of the conflicts are internal to the countries! Part of the solution is for Africans to create a federation of the different ethnic groups. In this way, each ethnic group can maintain most of its ancient identity and culture within the country. 'Divide and dominate' creates endless friction! And criminal countries like Portugal just continues to stoke the fire, and them pretend to be 'peace maker'. Peace-less and evil Europeans creatures cannot promote peace; because their nature is beastly.
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