2 Minute Briefing- Changing Times In Guinea Bissau?

On the 28th February 2020 the army deployed troops and occupied government offices in the small African republic of Guinea Bissau, but this is not the first time the military have been involved in the small nation’s politics. Since its independence from Portugal in 1974 there has been nine successful or attempted coups. These numerous coups, coupled with the fact that this poor West African state is a minor player on the geopolitical stage, have resulted in the situation being largely unreported by the global media with only a few minor articles cropping up periodically.

However, this latest shift in power could herald the start of developments that may not just affect the citizens of Guinea Bissau but Europe as a whole. This is because for the past years, this small, coastal nation is one of the largest cocaine transit points between South America and Europe. Now, for the first time in in the nation’s history, there is a leader, in the form of Gen (Retd.) Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who has openly condemned this trade. Hope is growing for a meaningful shift change toward the drugs cartels operating within the country.

But as is common knowledge, this is not the first-time hopes have been raised by the political rhetoric of a new leader in West Africa, and many in the international community are open about their doubt about real change and have only limited expectations. However, on the 2nd April 2020, in a land mark ruling for a court in the nation, twelve traffickers from Colombia, Mexico and Guinea Bissau were convicted of trafficking Cocaine. The group has received sentences between four and fourteen years, and has heralded a national shift change. It is bold move by a government that has historically at best turned a blind eye to the trade, and at worst had senior figures actively involved in it. This was acutely demonstrated in 2013, with the arrest of the former naval chief, Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, who was detained by the DEA for smuggling Cocaine from Paramilitaries in Columbia into the United States .

Source: UNODC

It is early days for this new government and only time will tell if this is a turning point in denying drug cartels a safe haven from which to operate or the impact this could have on the European drug trade.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in our articles are those of our analysts and not necessarily those of RoseMarie Ltd.