Attempted Coup thwarted in Guinea Bissau

This tiny West African country, a former Portuguese colony, has been subjected to a lot of political unrest in recent years, with three attempted coups d’etat since the civil war in 1998/1999, when a Military Council led by Colonel Ansumane Mane overthrew the government of President Nino Vieira, who had ruled the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Ansumane Mane was killed in an uprising against the democratically elected president, Kumba Yala, in 2000.

The latest attempted coup was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Almami Allan Camara, ex-Member of the Military Council, who has since been arrested, along with many of his followers, mostly army and police officers.

Many of them were involved in the last attempted coup of November, 2000 and were enjoying provisional liberty before their trials were due to begin in 2002. The Interior Minister of Guinea Bissau, Alamara Nhasse, has declared that the situation in the country is under control.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru LISBON PORTUGAL