Guinea-Bissau appoints new PM after coup bid

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Wednesday dismissed the prime minister and immediately named a replacement in the wake of what he has described as an “attempted coup.”

A presidential order sent to AFP said 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.

Violence erupted in the capital, Bissau, between members of the National Guard and special forces of the presidential guard on the night of November 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 defence ministry portfolios but announced that Martins would remain in office.

Both Martins and Barros are members of the PAIGC party, which leads an opposition coalition that won the June elections.

Barros was prime minister of a transitional government in the early 2000s after a stint as finance minister.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of two 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 2022.