Surprise! It's another coup in Africa!
Guinea-Bissau's army chief of staff Sunday declared himself interim president of the tiny West African nation following a dawn putsch to depose the leader of the former Portuguese colony. "I am going to assume the presidency of the republic until there is no money left are elections," General Verissimo Correia Seabra told Portuguese state television (RTP) in an interview. General Correia said in a statement earlier that the army had dissolved all state institutions and set up a military committee to restore democracy.
| And what better way is there to restore democracy? |
The army accused ousted President Kumba Yalla of violating the constitution and other electoral laws. The army has not yet set a date for elections but is due to meet the government later Sunday. "As a person, I have nothing against Kumba Yalla," General Correia told RTP, according to Lusa news agency. "He can stay in Guinea-Bissau as well as leave the country. That's up to him."
| "If he steps out of line, we'll run a tank over him, if we can get one started..." |
Guinea-Bissau, about the size of Taiwan, is one of the world's poorest nations with a population of some 1.3 million, scraping by on an average $170 a year each. It has been gripped by an economic crisis since a 1998-1999 army revolt.
| ... which was intended to restore democracy... |
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