BISSAU, (Reuters) – Military police in Guinea-Bissau yesterday killed a government minister who was to be a candidate in presidential elections and two former ministers in what the authorities said was a bid to foil a planned coup attempt.
The killing of Territorial Administration Minister Baciro Dabo, former defence minister Helder Proenca and ex-prime minister Faustino Embali deepens a political crisis in the former Portuguese colony three weeks ahead of national polls.
The United Nations said the killings were a “tragic setback” and regional body ECOWAS called for an investigation but both bodies said the polls should go ahead despite calls from a regional rights group for a delay due to the atmosphere of fear.
The three politicians are the latest victims of a power struggle in the West African country which saw President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira killed by soldiers in March in an apparent revenge attack for the slaying of the head of the army.
“This was about nipping a coup attempt in the bud. Among the authors of this coup some came quietly while others tried to resist, that is why they were killed,” the state intelligence services said in a communique.
“We have material proof that this coup attempt was aimed at physically eliminating the head of the armed forces, overthrowing the interim head of state and dissolving the national assembly,” the statement said.
The cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss the unrest but the U.N. said presidential polls should go ahead.
“These criminal acts are a tragic setback for efforts to restore the rule of law and democratic processes in the country, but they should not be allowed to deter the forthcoming presidential elections,” it said in a statement.
