Guinea-Bissau’s President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo said this Wednesday that there can be no assassins in the country’s armed forces, deplored the February 1 coup attempt and urged the military to distance itself from politicians.
“I want people to know that a culture of violence is not a culture of courage. I was sorry for what happened on February 1st. Not because Umaro Sissoko Embalo is the President of the Republic or the Supreme Commander (of the Armed Forces) from Guinea. Bissau,” said Umaro Sissoko Embalo, speaking at the ceremony marking the 48th anniversary of the Armed Forces.
On February 1, armed men fired on the Government Palace, while the President of Guinea, Oumaro Sissoko Embalo, was in this place and presided over a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The Head of State stated that he believed that the last mistake was the assassination of President João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, who was killed in March 2009 during an attack on his residence in Bissau.
“I didn’t think we could go back to the culture of trying to kill someone you don’t even know or where they came from. Just look at the young people who died in this attack,” he said, referring to the mortal victims of the February 1 attack.
“There has been a coup in many countries, people have been removed from power, but we cannot have assassins in our Armed Forces,” he said, noting that anyone who “has no mind” will be expelled from the Armed Forces.
The president also said that an operative is someone who “shows courage on the battlefield” and “not someone who kills people in bed.”
“This is not a man’s business. If you’re really an operative, let the man know you’re coming,” he said, asking the military to distance themselves from politicians because “power is won at the ballot box.”
In his speech, Umaro Sissoko Embalo, who belongs to the Fula ethnic group, also touched upon the ethnic issue in the armed forces, saying that it is a “lie” that Balanta wants to kill him.
“Just as there are useless Balantas, there are also useless Fula. Not all Fula supported me as President of the Republic. Nuno Nabiam (Prime Minister of Guinea) was on my side, he is Balanta,” he said. .
“There is a lot of balanth here that has always protected me. We must put an end to this expression, that one who considers himself courageous, because he is a balanta. Let’s not create problems between the ethnic groups of Guinea-Bissau,” he said.
The President of Guinea stated that Guinea-Bissau needed national unity, insisting that “the culture of violence cannot be the culture of the military.”
“Imagine if there was a coup on February 1st. If they removed the president and the government, where would the country be today. Does this mean that we are going to force the country to regress for another 20 years?” Umaro Sissoko asked. Embalo, remembering that the Armed Forces must be subject to political authority.
“Don’t settle for being used by people who want power without going through the ballot box. I think everyone saw that Guinea is changing,” added the President of Guinea.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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