Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea-Bissau, Suzi Barbosa, on Sunday gave graphic presentation of the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in her country.
On the sidelines of the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Muhammadu Buhari met with Senior Minister.
At the meeting, President Buhari got a comprehensive briefing on the coup attempt to oust President Umaru Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, but which was aborted by loyalist forces.
“They attempted to kill President Embalo. They destroyed the presidential palace with bazookas, killed 11 young people. It took about five hours to restore order. It was a nightmare,” she said.
President Buhari pledged to consult with other ECOWAS leaders on how full normalcy could be restored to the embattled country at the shortest possible time.
Guinea-Bissau had on Thursday said the attackers in the failed coup attempt on Tuesday intended to assassinate the president.
President Embalo, however, suggested that the incidence may be linked to the international drugs trade.
A government statement issued on Wednesday said 11 people were killed in the attack, including seven members of the security forces who saved Embalo and his Prime Mnister from death.
Giving new details on the events, it said that unidentified gunmen dressed in civilian clothes burst in on a Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, taking the participants by surprise.
“The aggressors’ mode of action clearly reveals that the purpose of the armed attack was the murder of all the authorities present in the council of ministers room.
“The robustness of the means and ammunition used demonstrates that this was rigorously planned.
“They were relying on funding from sectors with the financial capability to mobilize such an amount of material, logistics and human resources,” the statement said.
One of the attackers, a member of a military police unit and three civilians were killed along with the seven security personnel. The authorities were still searching for those behind the plot, it said.
Embalo has previously said he did not believe the army was involved in the coup attempt.
It was the 10th coup or failed coup in Guinea-Bissau since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.
It is also the latest in series of such actions in West Africa in the past 18 months including two in Mali, one in Guinea and one in Burkina Faso just last week.
The context appeared different in Guinea-Bissau, a nation of around 2 million people where only one president has successfully completed a term of office.
It is known as a major transit point for Latin American cocaine headed for Europe, sharing a common language with Brazil and Portugal, key exit and entry points in global trafficking networks.
TheStar
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