Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has dissolved the nation’s parliament, according to a decree issued on Monday which cited last week’s failed coup, further raising concerns about political stability in the country and the entire coup-hit West Africa region.
The foiled coup is the fourth attempted or successful military takeover of power in West and Central Africa in the last six months, following last week’s “failed coup” in Sierra Leone.
It further raises tensions in the once-politically stable region where coups have surged with eight military takeovers since 2020.
Guinea-Bissau’s semi-presidential system limits the president’s powers by allowing the majority party in the parliament to appoint the Cabinet. As a result, the National Guard — which is under the Ministry of Interior — is largely controlled by the opposition-dominated parliament.
Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of 2 million people that neighbours coup-hit Guinea has endured continued political turmoil, experiencing four coups and more than a dozen attempted coups.
Credit: rfi
