Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Wednesday replaced his prime minister, tasking his replacement with waging war on corruption, after what he described as last month’s “attempted coup.”
A presidential order sent to Agence France-Presse said former Guinea-Bissau prime minister Geraldo Joao Martins “is dismissed from his post as prime minister. The decree comes into force immediately.”
Another decree named Rui Duarte Barros as his replacement.
Photo: Reuters
“The relentless fight against corruption must be your team’s guiding thread,” Embalo told Barros during his swearing-in ceremony at the presidency. “No one has the right to take public property.”
“If we discover suspicions of corruption against you tomorrow, you will also have to appear before justice,” he added. “All institutions must be audited, starting with the accounts of the presidency.”
Violence erupted in the capital Bissau between members of the national guard and special forces of the presidential guard on the night of Nov. 30, leaving two people dead.
Embalo announced an “attempted coup” had taken place and dissolved parliament, saying the West African nation had been plunged into crisis and fresh elections would be held.
He also said he was taking over the interior and defense ministry portfolios, but at that time announced that Martins would remain in office.
Both Martins and Barros are members of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which leads an opposition coalition that won June elections.
Barros was prime minister of a transitional government in the early 2000s after a stint as the country’s finance minister.
Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of 2 million people has seen a series of coups and coup attempts.
Elected to a five-year term in December 2019, Embalo survived a bid to overthrow him in February last year.
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