Guinea-Bissau leaderless after gangland killing

The presidential palace in Bissau. Posted on Flickr by Xavier Hinnekint.

Guinea-Bissau awoke on Monday morning without a president. Head of State Joao Bernando Vieira was gunned down as he tried to escape from a group of soldiers who attacked his home. Our Observers from Guinea-Bissau speak about the tragic events of the day.

President Vieira, nicknamed "Nino", had governed the country for 23 years. In 2005 he was re-elected as president of this tiny West African country, nine years after a military coup left him stranded and running for safety. For the past two days, an eerie atmosphere of gangland killing had reigned over the capital city of Bissau. The night before Vieira's assassination, the army's chief of staff - and long-time rival of President Vieira - General Tagme Na Waie, was killed in a bomb attack.

Supporters of President "Nino" in Guinea-Bissau. Photo Xavier Hinnekint posted on Flickr.

Guinea-Bissau is a small country of 1.7 million inhabitants. A former Portuguese colony that gained its independence in 1974, it remains very poor and heavily in debt. The country is also suspected of acting as a crossroads for drug traffic from South America. Yet, the country appeared to be on course for a transition towards democracy. Indeed, European Union observers deemed that the 2005 elections, which re-instated President Vieira, were "free" and "fair".   

"All we heard was gunshots between 4:00 and 7:00 this morning."

Our Observer in the capital Bissau, Tidiane (pseudonym), gave us the following account before his telephone connection was severed.

Right now I'm at home with my family. We are waiting for friends to come over before going to have a look in the streets. It all seems to be calm outside, though we can hear the sound of military jeeps racing along the deserted streets.

I heard they were setting up roadblocks in the city. The tension has dropped again in Bissau. All we heard was gunshots between 4:00 am and 7:00 am this morning. Private radios have stopped transmitting since the morning. Apart from the state radio, the only news we get is from RFI and RDP Africa, a Portuguese radio based in Lisbon (Guinea-Bissau was formerly a Portuguese colony - editor's note).

Now that we no longer have a president, we just have to wait to find out what the army's next move will be..."

Posted on Flickr by Beyond Teresa.

A woman who has just voted in the 2008 parliamentary elections.

"The whole thing was organised by members of the military, who were desperate to seize power."

Mamadou (pseudonym) left Guinea Bissau six months ago to live in New York, where he is studying for a Master degree. For reasons of personal safety, he does not wish to disclose his real identity.

My family is still back home. I cannot give you my name, it's much too dangerous, both for myself and for them... It's all born out of a misunderstanding: I am certain the president didn't have the Chief of Staff killed. He knew very well that it was too dangerous and that he would've paid for it. I believe the whole thing was organised by members of the military, who were desperate to seize power. And pulling the strings from behind the scenes was the former president Kumba Yala, who is currently in exile in Morocco.

Vested interests in the drug trade most likely played a part as well, but those who say this is just about rival gangs settling scores are missing the point completely. The fundamental problem in Guinea-Bissau is the military's lack of training and supervision. Their only aim is to grab hold of power, with no regard for the good of the country.

Guinea-Bissau was a full-blown democracy. But today, I fear for our future. Now that the president has been killed, there is nothing to stop them. Unless the United Nations comes to our help."