An Update on the Situation
in Guinea Bissau and the
Mennonite Mission in Catel
April 28, 2012
Dear Friends of
Guinea Bissau,
After two weeks
of uncertainty, this morning we have some good news off the news circuits about
the coup in our country- Guinea Bissau:
Guinea-Bissau's coup
leaders released the
country's ousted prime minister and interim president after
more than two weeks of captivity, allowing the former leaders to travel to Ivory Coast.
The generals now in charge of the small, unstable West African country
also pledged a one-year transition back to democracy, a day after regional bloc ECOWAS decided to send hundreds of troops to
the country.
Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, has a history of coups and
other political violence and has in recent years become a major cocaine
trafficking hub between South America and Europe.
The military launched the latest coup on April 12, in the middle of a
two-round presidential election in which outgoing Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior was
the frontrunner.
Troops then attacked Gomes' residence with rocket-propelled grenades and
detained him, along with interim president Raimundo Pereira, in a power grab that sparked regional
and international condemnation.
