afrol News, 22 December - Regular military units this night took action a group of soldiers involved in July coup, looking for arms. While the government says the ex-coup leaders were planning another coup, the opposition calls the action intimidation.

According to Sabino dos Santos, spokesman of the opposition party Democratic Christian Front (FDC) - which was associated with the 16 July coup - the government of São Tomé and Príncipe is heading a "persecution and intimidation" campaign against the former coup leaders.

São Toméan Defence Minister Oscar de Sousa confirmed to the Portuguese broadcaster RDP África that his troops had ransacked the building, in an attempt to seize the soldiers' weapons. According to the Minister, these weapons were a threat to stability in the small island nation.

This night, according to Mr dos Santos, armed regular troops had attacked the house of coup leader Arlécio Costa, who held power in São Tomé during eight days in July this year. His house was being used as a meeting place by soldiers that had participated in the coup.

According to Mr dos Santos, this ransacking of the soldiers' house had in fact been in breech with the memorandum of understanding that had ended the coup and reinstalled civilian government. He confirmed that the ex-coup leaders still had weapons, but that they are entitled to this.

The ex-coup leaders are "not going to be hunted down like rabbits," said Mr dos Santos. According to the July deal, they were entitled to hold small arms for their own protection. They had therefore resisted this night's attempt to disarm them.

The São Toméan Defence Minister however doesn't agree and claim that the former coup-leaders actually are breaking the July agreement. Mr de Sousa says his Ministry has indications that the soldiers were planning to stage a second coup.

In fact, his troops were "looking for weapons that are entering the country illegally," Minister de Sousa told 'RDP África'. The government had reasons to believe Mr Costa - the house owner - was behind this illegal traffic in an attempt to recruit new soldiers and arming them for another coup.

Commenting on the FDC allegations that his government was now violating the July agreement, the Defence Minister said that the real violation was the ex-coup leaders' refusal to hand in their arms.

The political situation in São Tomé and Príncipe has been stable since the eight-day coup in July this year. President Fradique de Menezes and the government of national unity have not let the coup change their policy.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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