Jump to content

2022 Guinea-Bissau coup attempt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by HeyElliott (talk | contribs) at 02:41, 2 October 2023 (MOS:SOB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

2022 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état attempt

Map of Guinea-Bissau
Date1 February 2022 (2022-02-01)
Location
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Result

Coup d'état failed

  • President Umaro Sissoco Embaló says the coup was a "failed attack against democracy".
  • None of the main targets killed during the coup d'état.
Belligerents
Government of Guinea-Bissau Unknown
Commanders and leaders
Umaro Sissoco Embaló Unknown
Casualties and losses
2+ guards killed 4+ attackers killed
11 dead in total including 6 from the military[1]

A coup d'état was attempted in Guinea-Bissau on 1 February 2022.[2][3][4] A few hours later, president Umaro Sissoco Embaló declared the coup over, he said that "many" members of the security forces had been killed in a "failed attack against democracy".[5]

The president Umaro Sissoco Embaló told the AFP news agency in a telephone call that "All is well", and added that the situation is "under control".[6][7] He said that the failed coup attempt may have been linked to drug trade and was also an assassination attempt, "It wasn't just a coup. It was an attempt to kill the president, the prime minister and all the cabinet." He also stated that the army was not involved in the failed coup.[8]

Background

Coups d'état became a significant issue in Guinea-Bissau. Since the first one in November 1980, there have been:

  • Two successful coups in 2003 and 2012;
  • Eight attempted coups before 2022;
  • One military unrest, in 2010;
  • Two notable allegations of a coup attempt, in 2019 and 2020.

Coup

Armed men surrounded the government palace on 1 February 2022, where President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam were believed to have gone to attend a cabinet meeting. The state broadcaster reported that the shooting damaged the government palace, which is located close to the airport, and that "invaders" were holding government officials. Al Jazeera reporter, Nicolas Haque, said it was unclear whether the gunfire was the presidential guards trying to protect the president, or if there was an attack on the government palace.[6] Portugal’s foreign affairs minister said that Embaló was at his official residence, but it was not clear if the attack on the government was over. "The latest information I have is positive given that the president is already at his palace, at his official residence ... but we still don’t know if the attack is over," Augusto Santos Silva said in an interview with Portuguese broadcaster RTP.[9]

President Embaló told AFP news agency in a telephone call: "All is well" and added that the situation is "under control". The government announced Embaló would speak to the nation from the government palace on the evening of 1 February and invited reporters to attend the speech there. He announced that "many" members of the security forces had been killed in a "failed attack against democracy".[5] He stated that attackers had tried to enter the government compound just after the cabinet meeting but had been successfully repelled. He described the coup as an assassination attempt, "It wasn't just a coup. It was an attempt to kill the president, the prime minister and all the cabinet." He added that the attack "was well prepared and organised and could also be related to people involved in drug trafficking", giving no further details. He suggested in a video that the army was not involved in the coup attempt. "I can assure you that no camp joined this attempted coup. It was isolated. It is linked to people we have fought against," he said, without elaborating.[10]

On 2 February, life was slowly returning to Bissau's streets as businesses and banks reopened. Soldiers, on the other hand, were patrolling the streets and blocking entry to the Palace of Government complex, where the incident occurred. According to the military source, a large dragnet has been created by a panel of inquiry, and military intelligence personnel are collecting intelligence at government headquarters. [11]

Reactions

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said in a statement, "ECOWAS condemns the coup attempt and holds the military responsible for the physical integrity of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and members of his government. ECOWAS asks the military to return to their barracks and maintain a republican posture."[12] The African Union also condemned the 'attempted coup'. President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, called "on the military to return to their barracks without delay and to protect the physical safety of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and members of his government and to immediately free those of them who are in detention."[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Guinea-Bissau launches probe into botched coup that killed 11". 2 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Fears of Guinea-Bissau coup attempt amid gunfire in capital". the Guardian. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Heavy gunfire heard near presidential palace in Guinea-Bissau". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Gunfire near government house in Guinea-Bissau". France 24. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Guinea-Bissau president says 'many' dead after 'failed attack against democracy'". France 24. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Heavy gunfire heard near presidential palace in Guinea-Bissau". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  7. ^ Dabo, Alberto (1 February 2022). "Calm has returned to Guinea-Bissau, posts on president's accounts say". Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  8. ^ Dabo, Alberto (1 February 2022). "Guinea-Bissau president: Failed coup may have been linked to drug trade". Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Heavy gunfire heard near presidential palace in Guinea-Bissau". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  10. ^ Dabo, Alberto (1 February 2022). "Guinea-Bissau president: Failed coup may have been linked to drug trade". Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Guinea-Bissau launches probe into botched coup that killed 11". France 24. France 24. News Wires. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Heavy gunfire heard near presidential palace in Guinea-Bissau". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  13. ^ Dabo, Alberto (1 February 2022). "Calm has returned to Guinea-Bissau, posts on president's accounts say". Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2022_Guinea-Bissau_coup_attempt&oldid=1178188673"