BISSAU, (Reuters) – Guinea Bissau has reinstated Bubo Na Tchuto, accused by Washington of being a narcotics kingpin, as head of the west African state’s navy, according to an official statement read on state radio.
The United States named Na Tchuto earlier this year as being among a handful of former military officials involved in drugs trafficking, and warned Bissau to ensure they held no sway.
“Admiral Americo Bubo Na Tchuto has been named head of the Navy by presidential decree signed by President Malam Bacai Sanha,” said the statement, which was broadcast late on Thursday. Already prone to coups and revolts, the tiny nation of 1.6 million — whose main legitimate earner is cashew nuts — has become a hub for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Latin American cocaine heading for Europe.
Na Tchuto previously held the top spot in the navy until 2008, when he is believed to have led a failed coup attempt against former President Joao Bernardo Vieira. He subsequently fled into exile in nearby Gambia before sneaking back into the country in December 2009 on a canoe, disguised as a fisherman.
Recent efforts to stabilise the country suffered a blow after Na Tchuto ally General Antonio Injai toppled the pro-reform military leadership in April and briefly jailed Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, an ardent anti-drugs activist.
Injai was named head of Guinea Bissau’s armed forces in June.
The United States has warned that further work to reform Guinea Bissau’s army, seen as essential for the country’s development, would be impossible until it is purged of suspected drugs traffickers.
A United Nations report released in June said transit countries in west Africa were being severely destabilised as the world’s $88 billion cocaine market shifted towards Europe from North America, which remains the biggest user.
