Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bissau (Agenzia Fides) – President Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was assasinated today (March 2), in a military revolt, was one of the protagonists in the post-colonial history of Guinea Bissau, a Western African nation marked by economic difficulties and political instability.
Under Portuguese rule since the 15th century, Guinea Bissau gained its independence in 1973 after a fught that had begun in the 50s by Amilcar Cabral. A poet and writer from Cape Verde, Cabral organized a pro-independence movement with the establishment of the African Independence Party (PAI), which in 1960 took the name of African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). Cabral, who managed to gain the support of Cuba and the USSR, also received support from Paul VI. The Pope recognized the cause in Guinea, which irritated to the Portuguese government. Cabral was assassinated in January 1973 in Conakry. Many missionaries were then expelled after being accused of solidarity with the independence movement.
On August 22, 1973, the PAIGC, having taken control of the country, signed an accord with Portugal in which the country recognizes the independence of their former colony. Cabral was replaced by Aristides Pereira. The coups in 1974 in Portugal led to the signing of a definitive independence agreement. The plan to create one unified state between Guinea and Cape Verde failed. Pereira became President of Cape Verde, while the President of Guinea would be Luis Cabral, Amilcar's brother.
The first steps taken by the new independent nations were amidst serious circumstances: famine, inflation, illiteracy at 95%, an economy full of chaos, corruption, and patronage. Luis Cabral was removed from office in 1980, in a coups led by the Council of the Revolution, with its leader, assassinated President Joao Bernardo Vieira. In 1984, Victor Saude Maria, then Prime Minister, was accused of a plot against the President and was removed from office. Vieira took on the role of President and Prime Minister and approved a new constitution. In 1986, the Procurator of the Republic (Viriato Pan) and the Prime Minister (Paulo Correira) were eliminated, after calling for a greater democracy.
In July 1994, the first elections were held. Vieira was proclaimed the winner by the Electoral Commission that took three months in issuing the results. Kumba Yala, an intellectual supported by all the opposition parties, however, had received the greater number of votes. However, the electoral fraud and the support for “stability” on the part of France, Italy, the USA, and Portugal, allowed Vieira to proclaim victory in spite of popular opinion. In June 1998, General Ansumae Mane led a military revolt that tried to overthrow Vieira in May 1999. This is followed by a military group that organizes presidential elections with Kumba Yala as the winner. In September 2003, Kumba Yala – whose policies had left the majority of his followers disillusioned – was overturned by a military coups led by General Verissimo Correia Seabra. The provisional institutions organized presidential elections in July 2005. Vieira, who presented himself as an independent candidate, won in the second round. However, the instability continued. Shortly following the legislative elections on November 16, on November 23, 2008, an group of soldiers attacked the residence of President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira with machine-guns and grenades, killing one of the guards and wounding another, however without harm being done to the Head of State. In August, another coups failed. In January of this year, tensions heated up between the military and members of the personal militia of Vieira. After a stand-off between the two armed corps, the President was forced to dissolve his own “Pretorian” guard. The episode revealed the deep rift between Vieira and the leader of the Army, Na Wai, whose assassination led to the revenge of the soldiers.
It should also be noted, in addition, the Colombian drug-traffickers and their role in making this country (one of the poorest in the world) a site for the distribution of cocaine on its way to Europe. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 2/3/2009)
