By Paul Ejime
Fernando Dias da Costa, the candidate who claimed victory in Guinea-Bissau’s November 23rd presidential election, has accused the Gen. Horta Inta-A-led military junta of preparing the ground for the return to power of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
Embalo is believed to have masterminded the 26th November coup, a day before the National Electoral Commission, CNE, was to announce the election results, in an attempt to prevent an electoral defeat.
In his latest statement at the weekend, Dias, who has taken refuge in the Nigerian embassy in Bissau, said the “…mission of Gen. Horta Inta-A and his acolytes is to deliberately, and premeditatedly prepare for the return of dictator Umaro Sissoco Embalo to power through artificially manipulated and controlled electoral processes that lack any democratic credibility.
Embalo has left Guinea-Bissau, and to consolidate power, Gen. Inta-A has assumed the position of Transitional President and announced a 28-member cabinet and a 12-month transition programme.
The regional bloc, ECOWAS, has suspended Guinea-Bissau’s membership, threatened more sanctions and ordered a “short transition programme led by an inclusive government,” rejecting the one-year transition announced by the military.
The junta is made up mainly of Embalo’s loyalists, including the Prime Minster Ilídio Vieira Té, his Campaign Director during the 23rd November elections.
Dias said in his statement that the “…absurd, illegitimate and unacceptable revision of the constitution and electoral laws have been conceived (by the junta), not to strengthen the rule of law, but to institutionalize the coup, normalize the usurpation of power and perpetuate the capture of the state against the sovereign will of the people.”
The statement demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of citizens who have been illegally and abusively detained,” adding that Dias’ Campaign Directorate “…clearly distinguishes between the true officers and soldiers of the armed forces, who remain loyal to the Republic and distanced themselves from (the coup).
Dias claimed that the reported “destruction of computer equipment…,” the arrest of electoral magistrates and opposition leaders, and the “maintenance of Embalo’s official photograph in government offices constitute irrefutable evidence of the fraudulent nature of the alleged coup.”
“These facts clearly demonstrate that Gen. Horta Inta-A and other officers acted exclusively at the behest of Embalo to prevent the disclosure of the election results,” the statement said, and rejected the assertion by Gen. Inta-A, claiming that a civil society activist Fode Caramba Sanha, had told him that “if the election results were released (Guinea-Bissau) would plunge into civil war.”
IT and election experts believe that the election results are available, even though CNE officials said after they were released from military detention that they could not proceed with the electoral process because the Commission’s secretariat was invaded by uniformed men who removed and destroyed vital documents and equipment on the day of the coup.
The statement by Dias further demanded “clarification” from the junta on “the origin of the five million euros seized in Portugal on a private jet from Guinea-Bissau, involving Embalo’s wife and people close to him.”
Guinea-Bissau is described as a “narco-state” because of its endemic hard drugs problem.
Dias, in his statement, accused “…the Embalo government of having …” systematically participated in, promoted and protected the expansion of organized crime, particularly drug and arms trafficking, and money laundering.”
“Since coming to power, the Embalo regime has turned Guinea-Bissau into a veritable paradise for drug traffickers,” the statement said. “All (those) convicted in major drug seizure cases have been acquitted, released and/or had their legally confiscated assets returned to them.”
Dias thanked the European Parliament for its Resolution “condemning the self-coup and demanding the immediate disclosure of the election results.”
He alerted the international community “to the unpredictable consequences of its inaction in the face of the seizure of power in Guinea-Bissau.”
ECOWAS has been criticized by analysts for trying to “reward Embalo, who planned and executed a fake military coup” against himself, warning that allowing the self-coup to stand could set a dangerous precedent in a coup-prone region dogged by insecurity and political instability. Five of the 15 ECOWAS member States – Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau – are now ruled by soldiers after military coups.
Guinea plans a transition election at the end of this month.
The juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have pulled their countries out of ECOWAS to form the Alliance of Sahel States, AES, while Nigeria, the regional power house, helped to foil a recent coup attempt in neighbouring Benin.
The regional leaders are divided on the best approach towards the Guinea-Bissau situation, hence the timid call for a short transition programme instead of a more drastic and effective option, such as exerting consequential pressure on the junta to release the election results.
The leaders of Senegal, the Gambia and Sierra Leone, the current ECOWAS Authority chairman, are said to be close friends/sympathetic to Embalo.
While ECOWAS is still planning dialogue missions to Guinea-Bissau, a Senegalese ministerial delegation is reported to have visited the Bissau junta leaders for talks at the weekend.
Analysts warn that the mismanagement of the Guinea-Bissau crisis could be very costly to the legitimacy and credibility of ECOWAS as a regional organization, once applauded for its achievements in the domain of peace and security, including ending the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Paul Ejime is a Media/Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst.