Guinea-Bissau’s military junta has eased restrictions on some opposition figures but continues to detain others, opposition officials and the army said on Saturday.
The military is no longer pursuing the arrest of a senior opposition politician who had gone into hiding after the November 26 coup, according to an opposition source. However, another prominent opposition leader, released from prison only a day earlier, has now been placed under house arrest.
The junta detained several senior politicians after toppling President Umaro Sissoco Embalo just days after the presidential election, before official results were announced. The military also suspended the electoral process, forcing Embalo to flee the country.
Embalo’s main rival, Fernando Dias, who claims to have won the election, avoided arrest by taking refuge in the Nigerian embassy. On Saturday, Dias’s communications manager, Gabriel Ye, said the military had lifted most restrictions on him.
“Dias is not under house arrest,” Ye told AFP. “The only conditions imposed by the military authorities are that he must not make public statements or engage in political activities.”
Ye also confirmed that Embalo’s former prime minister, Geraldo Martins, has been released.
In contrast, opposition heavyweight Domingos Simoes Pereira, freed from prison on Friday after months in detention, was immediately placed under house arrest. Army commander Jorgito Biague said all others detained in connection with the coup had been released.
“Domingos Simoes Pereira is the only one under house arrest, for economic crimes,” Biague said, adding that the case was now before the judiciary, not the military leadership.
Pereira, who heads the PAIGC party that led Guinea-Bissau to independence from Portugal in 1974, was escorted to his home on the outskirts of Bissau on Friday evening, where supporters gathered to welcome him. He had been barred from contesting the presidential election for submitting his nomination late and later backed Dias.
Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability, having experienced five coups and several attempted military takeovers since independence.
On Saturday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) welcomed steps taken by the transitional authorities, saying they were aimed at creating an inclusive political environment and restoring constitutional order. The regional bloc called for Pereira’s full release, respect for fundamental rights, and cooperation among all parties to ensure a peaceful transition and credible democratic elections.
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