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Guinea-Bissau President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló fires ministers

June 29, 2020 11:41 AM

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has sacked five of his ministers.

Guinea-Bissau President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló

Their dismissal comes ahead of a parliamentary debate on today (June 29, 2020) on which political alliances have the right to govern the country.

The five who have been fired are the ministers for defence, interior, economy, agriculture, and energy. They were all dismissed in a decree on Sunday with no explanations given.

Guinea-Bissau has been faced with political turmoil for many years. The long-time governing party PAIGC said the December 2019 elections was rigged after President Embaló was announced the winner.

According to Reuters news agency, the ministers who have been dismissed are all members of President's Embalo's Madem-15 party loyal to the president.

“It is a strategy for Umaro Sissoco Embaló to gain the majority at the parliament,” the agency quotes a website Ditadura de Consenso as saying.

Guinea-Bissau has had nine coups or attempted coups since 1980.

Mr Embaló who is a former army general has said that he wants to resolve tensions and modernise Guinea-Bissau.