Guinea-Bissau
Calm but tense in Bissau

afrol.com, 27 November - Although the former military leader, General Ansoumane Mane, is still on the run, according to the latest reports from Guinea-Bissau, some normality is returning to the capital Bissau. As long as Mane is not found, fears of a renewed civil war prevail among the war-tired population. Further, President Kumba Yala has ordered the release of opposition party leaders arrested earlier.

Latest reports from Bissau (Monday evening) only confirm that the reports by the Bissau national radio on Friday that Mane had been caught in Quinhamel were false. Mane had fled Bissau town being ousted by troops loyal to the Government after he had tried to take over command of the army from the elected Government last Monday. 

On Friday, however, only some of Mane's followers and his family had been arrested in Quinhamel, while the general continued to be at large. It did not even seem probable that the general ever had gone to Quinhamel. Since that, at least 73 soldiers who supported Mane during last week's clashes have since given themselves up following an appeal by the bishop of Bissau, according to UN sources. AFP further reported this evening that about 108 other men who had supported Mane - probably separatists from the Casamance province of neighbouring Senegal - were also in the hands of the authorities.

In the town of Bissau, the national capital, a tense normality is slowly returning after the clashes on Thursday morning between Mane supporters and soldiers loyal to the President. 
During the fights, supporters of General Mane were driven out of his headquarters at the airbase north of the capital. The fighting however caused an exodus from Bissau to the surrounding villages. People remembered too well the last fighting during the 1998-1999 civil war, in which about 300,000 people were displaced.

A PANA correspondent arriving Bissau this morning reported from the town that "There was no particular tension" in the town, and that "people were going on with their normal affairs." The population at large however "still felt unsafe", fuelled by a Government statement by Prime minister Caetano Ntchama saying that the country was still "in a state of war as long as Mane is not found."

Forces loyal to the Government are searching the entire country for Mane, who's whereabouts remain unknown. All roads are interrupted by numerous check points where soldiers and policemen stop all cars for an extensive search. The borders remain open, but controls have increased strongly. The airport has been closed and the ferry at Joao Landim has broken down.

In another development, the oppositional politicians arrested on Friday were to be released, according to orders given by President Yala. The politicians, including the leaders of the opposition parties PAIGC (former ruling party), the Socialist Alliance and the Union for Change, had been arrested after making statements in support of the rebelling General Mane. 

The politicians were said to have had "collaborated with General Mane in a coup plot against President Kumba Yala's government," by Government spokesman Pedro da Costa. On Saturday, opposition politician Agnelo Regala accused the government of wanting to launch a witchhunt to gag the opposition, something Government spokesman Pedro da Costa denied. Surprisingly, thus, today President Kumba Yala announced on national radio that he had ordered the release of all the civilians arrested during last week's fighting. This will include the oppositional politicians.

Background
General Ansumane Mane led the military junta when it overthrew president Joao Bernardo Vieira in May 1999. The 11-month military revolt led to a destructive civil war in this poverty struck, small West African nation, which ended in March 2000. The military only reluctantly let a civilian government take office after substantial international pressure. In practice, however, the former military junta and its head Mane has remained as a kind of parallel force. The UN has been monitoring the fragile peace between the civilian government and the military forces ever since.

General Mane has not held any official position within the military hierarchy since then. He sparked a crisis in Guinea-Bissau last Monday when he overturned military promotions President Yala had made, announced the dismissal of chief of staff Verissimo Correia Seabra and proclaimed himself head of the military.

His moves were promptly condemned by Guinea-Bissau's government, which asked Mane on Tuesday to respect the constitution and its institutions. The UN Security Council said on Tuesday that it would hold Mane responsible if his action led to further unrest and chaos. It urged him to start dialogue with the government on the basis of the country's constitutional order. On Wednesday, also OAU Secretary General Salim Ahmed Salim urged Mane "to show due respect for the constitution" of the country".

- There has been a longstanding malaise between the military and the government, a person interview by IRIN analyses the situation. "The junta never accepted to stay in the barracks. This is an excuse to make a comeback." Over the past few months, nearly all decisions made by the president have been challenged by the military and usually the head of state has backed off, according to the same source. 

Sources: Based on afrol archives, PANA  and UN sources

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