Soldiers hold Guinea-Bissau army chief
Source: Agencies |
April 2, 2010, Friday
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RENEGADE soldiers seized the head of Guinea-Bissau's armed forces yesterday and briefly detained the prime minister in an apparent coup attempt in the tiny, coup-plagued African nation where the president was assassinated last year.
A crowd of hundreds gathered outside Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr's office in the capital Bissau to denounce the apparent coup attempt as martial music played on the radio, code for a military-led coup in this part of the world.
Hours later, the mutinous soldiers released the prime minister, but the head of the armed forces Zamora Induta remained under guard at a military base while his No. 2 appeared to be in control.
Antonio Ndjai, the detained army chief's deputy, called a news conference soon after Gomes was released and issued a chilling warning: "If the people continue to go out into the streets to show their support for Carlos Gomes Jr, then I will kill Carlos Gomes Jr or I will send someone to kill him," he said, according to the interview broadcast on state TV.
Luis Sanca, the minister of territorial administration who was taken hostage with Gomes, said, "The situation remains very unclear."
Sanca said that he and the prime minister had gathered for a Cabinet meeting at around 8am yesterday when the soldiers burst in and grabbed them. They were driven to a military camp inside the capital, where they found that Zamora also had been detained. The soldiers let him and Gomes leave without explanation at around 11am.
A crowd of hundreds gathered outside Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr's office in the capital Bissau to denounce the apparent coup attempt as martial music played on the radio, code for a military-led coup in this part of the world.
Hours later, the mutinous soldiers released the prime minister, but the head of the armed forces Zamora Induta remained under guard at a military base while his No. 2 appeared to be in control.
Antonio Ndjai, the detained army chief's deputy, called a news conference soon after Gomes was released and issued a chilling warning: "If the people continue to go out into the streets to show their support for Carlos Gomes Jr, then I will kill Carlos Gomes Jr or I will send someone to kill him," he said, according to the interview broadcast on state TV.
Luis Sanca, the minister of territorial administration who was taken hostage with Gomes, said, "The situation remains very unclear."
Sanca said that he and the prime minister had gathered for a Cabinet meeting at around 8am yesterday when the soldiers burst in and grabbed them. They were driven to a military camp inside the capital, where they found that Zamora also had been detained. The soldiers let him and Gomes leave without explanation at around 11am.
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