Guinea-Bissau's President sacks PM, dissolves government

May 12, 2016 3:41 PM

"Carlos Correia's government is incapable of managing the crisis and creating better political and institutional conditions for (the government's) full function," Vaz said in an address at the presidency.

Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz arrives to speak with journalists after a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Anibal Cavaco Silva (not pictured) at Belem presidential palace in Lisbon June 19, 2014.

Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz sacked Prime Minister Carlos Correia and dissolved his government on Thursday in a move that threatened to worsen political turmoil that has crippled the tiny West African nation.

Correia was appointed prime minister in October - becoming the third person in the post in the span of three months - in an attempt to end a crisis sparked by a row within the ruling PAIGC party.

His dismissal by Vaz now threatens to bring renewed instability.

He called for consultations among the political parties to select a new prime minister.

Guinea-Bissau is one of the region's most chronically unstable nations and has not seen a democratically elected leader serve a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974. The chaos has helped it become a major transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to Europe.

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