In a nation accustomed to coups, the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, selected two new employees in charge of his security who began working on Monday without connecting their actions to recent uprisings in Africa, said an AFP correspondent.
These new appointments occur at a period of presidential security official-led coups in Niger and Gabon.
On Friday, generals Tomas Djassi and Horta Inta were appointed as the president of the Republic’s chief of staff and head of presidential security, respectively. These two posts, which are listed on the official organisational chart, had been vacant for a long time.
An AFP correspondent said that MM. Djassi and Inta were sworn in on Monday during a ceremony at the presidential palace in front of President Embalo.
According to the authorities, Mr. Embalo, who was elected in the second round in December 2019, General Djassi was formerly in charge of the national guard, an elite unit of the army. His men’s intervention is believed to have helped to the failure of the coup attempt in February 2022.
General Inta oversaw the Bissau central police station, which has frequently been managed by military personnel.
“It’s true that coups perpetrated by officers responsible for presidential security have become a fashion. But if Tomas (Djassi) ventures to (lead) such a project, we will fight for a long time,” he said . declared the Head of State of Guinea-Bissau, in response to a question from the press.
“To speak seriously, I reassure you that there will be neither February 2 nor February 3. Any suspicious movement will have an adequate response,” he added, in reference to the attempted coup d’état which he says he was a victim on February 1, 2022 and which left 11 dead, according to the government.
Chronic political unrest has plagued Guinea-Bissau since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974, and the most recent coup attempt occurred in February 2022.
