Guinea-Bissau - 1999 Elections + Coup
The population of 1.2 million relies largely upon subsistence agriculture and the export of cashew nuts. Both activities were affected negatively by the fighting. Annual per capita gross domestic product (GDP) prior to 1998 has been estimated at $840. Due to the conflict, GDP declined by 28 percent in 1998 but was expected to reach 80 percent of pre-1998 levels by the end of the year. Exports of cashew nuts returned to 70 percent of preconflict levels. Commercial banks and other monetary institutions, which had ceased operations with the outbreak of hostilities in June 1998, reopened in July. The country remains burdened by heavy external debt and massive underemployment.
The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, it was subject to political influence and corruption. The judiciary, which ceased to function at the onset of fighting in June 1998, resumed minimal responsibilities with the inauguration of a government of national unity in February.
The police, under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, had primary responsibility for the nation's internal security. However, following the June 1998 revolt, the police became ineffective, as the Military Junta, Economic Community of West African States Military Observer Group (ECOMOG) peacekeeping forces, and troops defending President Vieira were better equipped and openly carried arms on highly visible patrols and checkpoints. Following Vieira's ouster in May, the withdrawal of all foreign troops, and efforts of the interim government to reinstate the rule of law, the police resumed many of their responsibilities; however, lack of resources and training continue to hamper their effectiveness.
The armed forces are responsible for external security and may be called upon to assist the police in internal emergencies. A clear majority of soldiers joined the rebellion against President Vieira. Those who remained loyal, numbering no more than 300, generally took a secondary role to Senegalese and Guinean troops who entered the conflict at Vieira's request. ECOMOG peacekeeping forces were introduced and all Senegalese and Guinean troops were withdrawn by the end of March as agreed in the Abuja accords. ECOMOG forces were withdrawn in June following the defeat of loyalist forces and Vieira's departure to exile. The police, the military (both loyal and rebel), the Senegalese, and the Guineans were responsible for serious human rights abuses.
Citizens were allowed to vote in generally free and fair elections. However, government forces, particularly under President Vieira, committed extrajudicial killings. The police and loyalist forces continued to use beatings, physical mistreatment, other forms of harassment, and arbitrary arrest and detention by police. The Government did not punish any members of the security forces for abuses. Prison conditions are poor. The Government at times used incommunicado detention. The judiciary is subject to political influence and corruption. The Government infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The Government at times limited freedom of the press, and journalists practiced self-censorship. The Government at times restricted freedom of movement. Violence and discrimination against women are problems. Female genital mutilation is widely practiced. Child labor and some forced child labor persist.
A military coup in May 1999 resulted in minor changes in the Government of National Unity that was set up in February under the November 1998 Abuja peace accords, drove President Bernardo Vieira into exile in Portugal, and ultimately led to the country's second multiparty national elections on 28 November 1999.
President Vieira took no action to encourage forces allied with him to minimize the loss of life among prisoners of war and the civilian population. During the May coup, reports indicate that loyalist forces based in the Marinha district of the capital Bissau fired at advancing rebel forces and killed 60 civilians who had sought refuge in a nearby mission school. Rebel forces loyal to General Mane committed numerous killings. The attack by rebel troops on the presidential palace in May reportedly left 70 persons dead. Reports indicate that indiscriminate rebel shelling in civilian neighborhoods killed noncombatants.
A mass grave uncovered on October 8 contained the remains of 28 persons and was believed to include those of former Vice President Paolo Correia, former Attorney General Viriato Pa, and military officers sentenced to death in 1985 by a military tribunal on charges of an attempted coup.
The conflict that ended with the May coup caused massive civilian dislocation and hardship, but by June 1999 most of the 350,000 internally displaced persons had returned to their homes. Over 1,000 persons who sought refuge in neighboring countries repatriated spontaneously, and another 1,000 who fled are receiving assistance from international organizations to repatriate. About 1,800 refugees remain in Guinea and 720 remain in Gambia. An estimated 2,000 persons were killed during the 11-month conflict. Reports continue of deaths and injuries from land mines and unexploded shells that remain in populated areas.
The Government of National Unity inaugurated in February conducted the November elections with the assistance of a UN peace-building office (UNOGBIS) in accordance with a schedule established prior to the May coup, and initiated efforts to reverse the civil war's devastating effects.
General Ansumane Mane, who began a rebellion in June 1998 after Vieira fired him as Armed Forces Chief of Staff and blamed him for illegal arms trafficking to rebels in the Casamance region of Senegal, played a role in the interim government as the head of a self-declared military junta. Mane and the Junta consistently declared that they would stay out of politics once a new civilian government was elected, but 2 weeks before the elections a "Magna Carta" was published demanding a 10-year role for the Junta. The Junta denied authoring the "Magna Carta" and repeated its commitment to return to the barracks after the elections; however, adequate and timely payment of soldier and veteran benefits is a continuing concern.
In preparation for the elections, the National Electoral Commission, with the assistance of the UNOGBIS, conducted a voter registration program among the estimated 1.2 million population. Compared with 395,000 voters registered for the country's first multiparty elections in 1994, the current rolls show 525,367 voters. About 400,000 persons voted in the November 28 elections. PRS leader Koumba Yala and interim President Malan Bacai Sanha of the PAIGC led a field of 12 candidates for president. Neither candidate secured an absolute majority as required by law, and Yala and Sanha will face each other in a second round of voting on January 16, 2000. The inauguration of the new government is expected to follow soon thereafter.
Joao Bernardo Vieira, who had been elected President in the country's first multiparty elections in 1994, fled to exile in Portugal following the May coup. He had ruled the country since taking power in a 1980 coup. Prior to the November 28 elections, the PAIGC held 62 of 100 seats in the National Assembly, where 4 other parties were represented.
The November elections were considered generally free and fair by international observers, although they reported some irregularities. The elections significantly changed the composition of the 102-seat National Assembly, and the top two contenders among 12 candidates for President faced a runoff election on January 16, 2000.
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