Posted on Mar 03, 2020
ONE of the two men declared president of Guinea-Bissau, Cipriano Cassamá, has resigned from the post after just one day in office, saying his life was in danger.
Cassamá was chosen by lawmakers as president following disputed elections in December.
This was despite the fact that former Army General Umaro Cissoko Embaló had already been sworn in as president at a hotel in the capital, Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau has had nine coups or attempted coups since 1980.
A former Portuguese colony in West Africa, it has also become a key trafficking point for drugs from South America on their way to Europe.
This has led to it being dubbed a “narco-state”.
Ministries are closed and surrounded by armed guards, as the country lurches through a protracted crisis that some parliamentarians are calling a coup.
A truck of soldiers from a regional force, deployed to Guinea-Bissau about eight years ago, are guarding the home of Aristides Gomes, one of two men laying claim to the post of prime minister.