GUINEA-BISSAU National Flag and Emblem Locator Map TEXT HIGHLIGHTS: Diaries updates, key events, brief analysis and relating news articles in timeline Overview Historically, Guinea-Bissau was known as the ‘Slave Coast’ due to its strategic positioning as a trading post. Guinea-Bissau was a Portuguese colony until 1974. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea- Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) fought a protracted guerrilla war for the independence of both colonies. It was led by Amilcar Cabral. He was assassinated by dissidents in his own movement in 1973. However, Guinea-Bissau unilaterally declared its independence under the leadership of his brother, Luis Cabral, and, following the carnation revolution in Lisbon in 1974, Portugal withdrew its troops and recognised the independence of Guinea Bissau. Luis Cabral governed Guinea-Bissau as a one-party state, with socialist policies but a non-aligned foreign policy. He was overthrown in 1980 by a coup led by Joao Bernardo Veira known as ‘Nino’. The coup was the beginning of a pattern in Guinea-Bissau of military coups and resultant instability, which has continued to the present day. The liberation struggle for independence is led by the late Mr. Amilcar Cabral and of course, a Guerilla warfare under the, African Party for the Independence of Guinea & Capeverde (PAIGC) , a liberation front of the 1960s that led to the country's independence in 1974. Mr. Amilcar Lopes Cabral, a nationalist Guerilla and politician, nicknamed "Abel Djassi" led the African nationalist movements in Guinea-Bissau & the Capeverde islands and led Guinea-Bissau to independence Mr. Amilcar Cabral was assassinated in a commando operation in the name of "Mar Verde" meaning "Green Sea" whose goal was to capture or eliminate the leaders of PAIGC, whose were located in Conakry, Guinea, that was done on the 20th January, 1973 by the Guinea-Bissau native agents of the Portuguese colonialists, just months before unilateral declaration of independence. Guinea became an independent state and a republic on 10th September, 1974 from the Portuguese. Half-brother, Luis De Almeida Cabral became the leader of the party (PAIGC) and would eventually to become president of Guinea-Bissau at independence in September, 1974, he was the founder president of Guinea-Bissau. Headship since independence; Head of State and government. President Luis Cabral was overthrown by a military coup on the 14th of November, 1980, detained for over a year and died later on the 30th of May, 2009, the coup have brought Majour Joao Bernardo Vieira (Nino) to power, a new constitution was adopted in 1984. But political turmoil in Guinea-Bissau continued. A Republic in West Africa on the Atlantic ocean. The present Guinea Bissau was discovered by the Portuguese in 1446 and of subsequent importance in the slave trade, Portugal made it a colony in 1879. It's former name was Portuguese Guinea (until 1974). The liberation struggle for independence is led by the late Mr. Amilcar Cabral and of course, a guerilla warfare under the, African Party for the Independence of Guinea & Capeverde (PAIGC) , a liberation front of the 1960s that led to the country's independence in 1974. Mr. Amilcar Lopes Cabral, a nationalist Guerilla and politician, nicknamed "Abel Djassi" led the African nationalist movements in Guinea-Bissau & the Capeverde islands and led the Guinea-Bissau's independence movement. An eventual union with the Capeverde islands is planned in post-independence years. Mr. Aristides Periera of the was an ally in the drive to unite the two Luzophone countries Capeverdes He was assassinated in a commando operation in the name of "Mar Verde" meaning "Green Sea" whose goal was to capture or eliminate the leaders of PAIGC, located in Conakry, Guinea, that was done on the 20th January, 1973 by the Guinea-native agents of the Portuguese colonialists, just months before Guinea-Bissau declared a unilateral independence. The Operation Green Sea (Portuguese: Operação Mar Verde) was an amphibious attack on Conakry, the capital of Guinea, by between 350 and 420 Colonialist Portuguese soldiers and Portuguese-led Guinean fighters in November 1970. The goals of the operation included the overthrow of Ahmed Sékou Touré's regime, capture of the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Amílcar Cabral, destruction of the naval and air assets of the PAIGC and its Guinean supporters, and the rescue of Portuguese POWs held in Conakry. His half brother, Mr. Luis De Almeida Cabral became the leader of the party (PAIGC) and would eventually to become president of Guinea-Bissau at independence in September, 1974, he was the founder president of Guinea-Bissau. Guinea Bissau became an independent state and a republic, but political turmoil continued and the government of president Luis Cabral was overthrown by a military coup on the 14th of November, 1980, arrested, detained for over a year and to be died later on in the 30th of May, 2009, the coup have brought Majour Joao Bernardo Vieira to power, a new constitution was adopted in 1984, the first multi-party elections were held in 1994, he weathered numerous attempts until being forced out nineteen years later at the onset of the country's civil war in May, 1999, Majour Joao Bernardo Vieira known as locally "Nino", went into exile in Portugal. A transitional government was formed under opposition leader Mr. Kumba Yala, sworn in as president, but he was ousted on February, 2000, by the Army chief of staff General Verissimo Correia Seabra who stepped in to end Mr. Kumba Yala's three and half years in office in a bloodless coup. And a businessman called Henrique Rosa was nominated as Interim president. Gunea-Bissau organised elections in 2005 until the late Mr. Joao Bernardo Vieira returned from exile and ran, winning the vote. Mr. J.B Vieira is shotdead by army soldiers in an apparent revenge attack at his home in Bissau on the 2nd of March, 2009, hours after a bomb blast that killed the Army chief of staff at the HQ. In accordance with the constitution of Guinea-Bissau, speaker of the national assembly, Mr. Raimundo Pereira appeared to be Interim president, then presidential elections were held on the 26th of July, 2009, that brought Mr. Malam Bakai Saanha once again to sworn into office as president, as he briefly served early years. In Guinea-Bissau, there is such romours, top military officers were involved with smuggling of illicit goods like narcotics drugs, counterfeits cigaretts from latin America across borders of to western Europe. Politics In an alleged revenge attack, President Joao Bernardo Vieira was shot dead by renegade soldiers on March 2, 2009, hours after a bomb attack which killed the army's chief of staff, General Tagme Na Waie. The presidential polls following the assassination of President Viera were held in June 2009, however, a few days earlier, military police killed one of the candidates, which was explained as a bid to foil a coup. High levels of crime and drug trafficking threaten political stability. Economy Guinea Bissau has oil prospects. However, for significant investment to take place, it needs more conclusive results in the exploration stages Large spurts of growth in the tourism sector has contributed substantially to the country’s economy, which is largely crippled by external debt. The nation’s dependence on cashew exports means it is highly susceptible to world price fluctuations. Social There is a high level of income inequality in Guinea Bissau, which has led to social divisions based on income rather than ethnicity. There exists a problem of ‘brain drain’, the highly educated tend to emigrate. Contraception is more widely used in urban and rural areas. This is widely attributed to improvements in family planning services. Major Conflicts War of Independence When: 1963 – 1974 Who: African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC)led by Amilcar Cabral vs Portuguese Why: Liberation revolution Outcome: Portugal grants Guinea-Bissau independence with Luis Cabral, Amilcar Cabral's brother, as president after Amilcar Cabral was assassinated Joao Bernardo Vieira’s Coup When: 1980 Who: Joao Bernardo Vieira and the military vs Luis Cabral’s government Why: Dissatisfaction with the government – predominantly due to poor economic conditions. Outcome: The bloodless coup was successful and Vieira was declared president. Plans for unification with Cape Verde were cancelled and the PAIGC in Cape Verde fractioned and formed a separate party. A nine- member military Council of the Revolution, chaired by Vieira, was set up and the constitution was suspended. General Ansumane Mane’s Coup When: 1999 Who: General Ansumane Mane and soldiers vs Vieira’s government Why: Vieira had sacked Mane in 1998, which led to mutinies Outcome: Vieira was toppled and Malam Bacai Sanha, the former speaker of parliament, was installed as the interim president 2003 Military Coup When: 2003 Who: Commander Zamora Induta and the national forces vs government. Why: The armed forces claimed that the government was not solving the country’s problems. Outcome: The bloodless coup was successful and then President Kumba Yala was taken prisoner. At recent, Guinea-Bissau's navy chief has been arrested after an attempted coup on the 26th December, 2011. The army said there were more clashes overnight in the hunt for suspects, the AFP news agency reports. President Malam Bacai Sanha is in France, where he has been receiving medical treatment since early December. Outcome: Guinea-Bissau's navy chief has been arrested. Side note: Last year, Guinea Bissau Navy chief Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was named by the US as a "drug kingpin". In recent years the tiny West African nation has become a major transit hub for cocaine smuggled from Latin America to Europe and suffered much political unrest as a result.