(4 minutes read)
- President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló said he survived a coup attempt after being under heavy gunfire for five hours.
- The situation, reportedly, is under control.
- It is reported that president told a wire agency that the attackers tried to kill him and his entire cabinet at the government palace, where the cabinet meeting was taking place
- He also revealed that many others had been killed in the fighting on both sides.
President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló said he survived a coup attempt after being under heavy gunfire for five hours. He added that the situation was under control.
It is reported that the president told a wire agency that the attackers tried to kill him and his entire cabinet at the government palace, where the cabinet meeting was taking place. He also revealed that many others had been killed in the fighting on both sides. According to the local media at least six deaths had taken place – four attackers and two guards. President said that the attackers were linked to drug trafficking in the country. However, he did not provide any further details.
Reports from various wire agencies indicate that the president reported to have told them that attackers failed to break into the cabinet meeting and reiterated that the situation was under control.
Guinea-Bissau, an erstwhile Portuguese colony and a small country having a population of just under two million people, is one of the poorest countries in the world. The country has seen nine coups or attempted coups since 1980. It has massive foreign debt and an economy that relies heavily on foreign aid. The country has also become a transit point for Latin American drug mafia and is dubbed as Africa’s first narco-state.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, a former army chief, was elected president in 2019. When he was elected, he promised two things: eradication of corruption and drug trafficking. He seems to have said to the wire agencies that this is what he is paying for while trying to root out the malaise.
Earlier, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned what it called an “attempted coup” in Guinea-Bissau. The organization called on the military to return to the barracks.
Men in civilian clothing opened fire close to a government building hosting a meeting between the president and prime minister of Guinea-Bissau. The regional development organization condemned the attempted coup and held the military responsible for the safety of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and members of his government. Coming close on the heels of the coup in another member country-Burkina Faso, ECOWAS is very much concerned about these adverse developments.
