There has been a coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau. The following update was released for public disclosure by the Risk Management Network (thanks to RMN):
Members of Guinea-Bissau‘s armed forces launched a coup attempt in central Bissau on the night of 12/13 April. Soldiers have taken control of the ruling party’s headquarters and the national radio station in the central district of the capital, Bissau. Gunfire and grenade explosions were reported throughout the night near the residence of Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior. Main roads in central Bissau have been blocked by soldiers and reports indicate that several political leaders, including current interim president, Raimudo Pereira, have been arrested and taken to the city’s d’Amura barracks. Guinea-Bissau held presidential elections on March 18 following the death of former interim president, Malam Bacai Sanha, who died in Paris on 9 January as a result of a prolonged illness. In the presidential election, Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior garnered 48.9 percent, while opposition leader Kumba Yala obtained 23.26 percent of the vote. Yala claims that the vote was rigged and is calling for a boycott of the run-off vote, scheduled for 29 April. Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability and regime change. Since gaining independence in 1974, the country has experienced four military-led coups with the most recent occurring on 1 March 2009 when then president Joao Bernardo Vieira was assassinated by members of the country’s armed forces. Following his death and the ensuing political instability, soldiers attempted to overthrow the interim government of Sanha on 26 December 2011. However, the coup, led by navy chief Bubo Na Tchuto, and several other high-ranking military commanders, failed. The situation in Bissau remains highly fluid and a coup by factions of the military and further associated violence cannot be ruled out. Clients in Bissau are advised to avoid non-essential travel at this time and should monitor local media and emergency broadcast channels for developments.