Guinea-Bissau is turning into a republic of militias – Civil Society

The Civil Society Organizations of Guinea-Bissau considered the attack against Fransual Dias, a member of the Council of State and leader of the Social Renewal Party (PRS), a “criminal and barbaric act.”

“It is another criminal act, barbaric, like others that have happened and we had opportunities to denounce,” said Bubacar Turé, vice president of the Guinean League of Human Rights.

The leader of the PRS and member of the Council of State, Fransual Dias, was today at dawn the victim of a shooting attack on his residence that culminated with his car being set on fire.

“We think that this act against Fransual Dias, a senior leader of PRS and member of the Council of State, consolidates what we have repeatedly said, that Guinea-Bissau is becoming a republic of loose militias with the complicity of the state to perpetuate terror against the citizens,” the activist stressed.

Bubacar Turé, speaking at a press conference at the House of Rights in Bissau, said this is the only way to understand the “silence, the inaction of the national authorities,” including the security forces and judicial authorities.

“They do not do and continue to do nothing, which for us constitutes a behavior of complicity,” he said.

Asked about the fact that the attack occurred on the eve of the beginning of the electoral campaign for the legislative elections, scheduled for June 4, Bubacar Turé said that “there can be no free, fair and transparent elections without the full exercise of essential freedoms, including freedom of expression, demonstration, and movement.”

“When acts of this kind begin to appear against political leaders for the simple fact of having a contrary opinion, it means that people are creating the conditions for us not to have fair, free, and transparent elections,” he stressed.

In this sense, the Consultation Space of Civil Society Organizations of Guinea-Bissau called on the Guinean President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, “as the guarantor of national unity, peace, tranquility, and respect for the rule of law, to assume his responsibilities, ordering investigations and stopping these barbaric acts.”

“Otherwise, we can only conclude that the State of Guinea-Bissau is complicit,” he added.

Meanwhile, the president of the National Network of Human Rights Defenders in Guinea-Bissau, Fodé Mané, said that the message is being consolidated that one cannot “talk about rights and freedom.”

“Going against the interests of political power. That message was not against a citizen; it was against a person who alerts society. It was against a leader denouncing issues related to the electoral process itself,” said jurist Fodé Mané.

But, for the jurist, the worst thing is that “with this long list of violations, Guinea-Bissau is being rewarded” with positive speeches, stressing that it is not true that the country is living in a climate of peace and tranquility.

“A group is using weapons against people to sow fear. There is an apathy and complicity of other actors,” he said, referring to the international community, which he considered “indifferent.”

Fodé Mané also denounced that they have confirmed that two judges with political cases have fled the country.

“The judicial bodies must assert themselves, become independent, autonomous, and encourage people to resort to justice to solve their problems.”

“Without an independent, courageous justice system, we cannot discuss a transparent election,” he considered.

Regarding the international community, the activist said that “agreements are being signed with the government when we are in the pre-electoral campaign period, and the international community is being used to endorse and approve the attitude of the political power.”

Guinea-Bissau holds legislative elections on June 4. The election campaign is expected to run from May 13 to June 2.

With information from Lusa