Coup leaders in Guinea-Bissau seek political solution

Soldiers arrested the prime minister several days ago. Now as in Mali the coup leaders are attempting to find a political solution to legitimize their actions.

Guinea-Bissau has been known for coups ever since independence. The country is widely known as a transit point for shipping cocaine to Europe.

The Prime Minister was the front-runner in a presidential election scheduled for April 29th. Prime minister Gomes was attempting to reform the army and also crack down on cocaine trafficking. Obviously this was just too much for the army. Many top brass in the military and also politicians are believed to profit from the trade.

The coup junta also arrested the interim president Raimundo Pereira and the head of the army. The junta claims they are all safe. One report denies the head of the army was detained. In the 40 years since independence no elected leader has managed to finish out a complete term in office!

The Economic Community of West African States is to send a military contingent to the country to provide security. The coup leaders want a deal before they arrive. ECOWAS which condemned the coup also sent a mediator. The EU and U.S. also condemned the coup. For more see this article.