The president of Guinea-Bissau, Umro Sissoco Embaló.
The delegations of Lusa, RTP and RDP have been expelled from Guinea-Bissau and the representatives have to leave the country until Tuesday, by decision of the Guinean government.
The Government of Guinea-Bissau decided to close RTP Africa, RDP Africa and Lusa agency.
No reasons were advanced For this decision, which has an effect from this Friday.
In July, the journalist and delegate of RTP in Guinea-Bissau, Waldir Araújohe was beaten and robbed in the center of Bissau, by unknown. According to his own, the attack would have political motivations, according to statements made by the aggressors, who will have accused RTP “to denigrate the image of Guinea-Bissau abroad.”
The information directions of Lusa, RDP and RTP have already repudiated the news: “This decision can only be fitted in the continued purpose of the Guinea-Bissau government of silence os journalists that fulfill the function of informing. This is a discriminatory and selective action, constituting a deliberate attack on freedom of expression ”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) today repudiated the expulsion of the Lusa, RTP and RDP agency of Guinea-Bissau, which “Highly censurable e unjustifiable”, And it will ask for explanations to the Guinean government.
Facing “gravity From this measure ”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs“ immediately summoned ”the Guinea-Bissau ambassador in Lisbon to give“ explanations and clarification ”, a meeting that is scheduled for Saturday, reads in a MNE statement.
In the statement, the Portuguese executive states that, “aware of the importance of the work of these media for the populations of both countries and the Lusophone community in general, Everything will do to reverse such a decision ”.
MNE ends the statement stating that “Portugal’s relations with Guinea-Bissau are and will be a reflection of deep friendship Between the two peoples, constituting a priority of Portuguese foreign policy ”, stressing that the“ government action is and will be strictly guided by respect for sovereignty of both states and the purpose of improving the high quality of reciprocal relationships ”.
Situation in the country
Guinea-Bissau is just over three months for the general electionsscheduled for November 23rd.
The new Prime Minister, Braima CamaráIt has ensured that the country will perform scrutiny with its own means, without depending on international help. So far, he recalls, the country depended on external support to finance electoral processes.
The recently sworn in presidential initiative has defined how top priority the holding of legislative and presidential elections in the country. “We are prohibited from failing. This process is crucial to show the national and international community that we are committed to the guidelines of the President of the Republic, ”said Camará.
The composition of the new government, with more ministries than the previous one, has been the subject of criticism of the opposition. “With a government of this dimension, budgetwithout program, without schedule, we will have a government that will only work on the guesses, which It is neither pragmatic nor defined for the given end“Considers the analyst Augusto Nansambé.
Since the new Prime Minister, Braima Camará, was appointed last week and the constituted government cast, the main Guinean parties remain silentalthough almost everyone has members in the executive.
Of the parties and coalitions to whom Deutsche Welle called for comments to the latest political events in Guinea-Bissau, only the Inclusive Alliance Platform coalition was made available to speak.
António Samba Baldéinterim coordinator of the winners of the last Guinean legislature, saysusers in relation to these moves: “Once again, there is an attempt by the President of the Republic, we supply try to postpone the elections And perpetuate yourself in power, and we think this is too much. ”
The former Prime Minister Baciro Djáfrom the inclusive patriotic alliance, the same political coalition of Braima Camará, accused the new head of the government governmentwhen assuming the functions.
“For me it is not Prime Minister, it is campaign director President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, equated with the Prime Minister, ”said Baciro Djá.“ And a prime minister who only resolves 1% of preparations for the elections, I think this is not serious or worthy for him, ”he concluded.
