THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 36,120 sq km
Population: 1.3 million
Capital City: Bissau
People: Main ethnic groups: (Balanta
30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga
13%, Papel 7%).
Language(s): Portuguese (official),
Crioulo, African languages
Religion(s): Indigenous beliefs 50%,
Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Currency: Communaute Financiere
Africaine franc (CFA franc), in
common with seven other West African
countries.
Major political parties: African Party
for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau
and Cape Verde (PAIGC);
Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata
Movement (RGB-MB); Party for
Democratic Convergence (PCD); Social
Renovation Party (PRS); Union for
Change (UM).
Government: Guinea-Bissau is a
republic with a multiparty system since
mid-1991. In the 1998 legislative
elections the PRS won 37 of the 100
seats in the National Assembly.
GEOGRAPHY
Guinea-Bissau is a small (13,948 sq
miles) country, wedged between
Senegal to the North and Guinea
(Conakry) to the East and South. The
terrain is mostly low coastal plain
rising to savannah in the east. The
climate is generally hot and humid.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Historical Perspective
Guinea-Bissau was a Portuguese colony
but remained extremely undeveloped
throughout the colonial period. An
armed liberation war against the
Portuguese, led by the charismatic
Amilcar Cabral, took place throughout
the late 1960s and early 1970s. The
Portuguese employed brutal tactics but
the fall of the Portuguese dictatorship
in 1974 led to rapid independence for
Guinea-Bissau. Cabral formed a
one-party, socialist regime under the
PAIGC (African Party for the
Independence of Guinea and Cape
Verde). The PAIGC formed the first
governments after independence in
both Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau and
was committed to eventual unification.
After Cabral's assassination, his
brother Luiz was President until he
was ousted in a coup by General Joao
Bernardo 'Nino' Vieira. Both Cabral's
and Vieira's regimes were highly
repressive and undemocratic.
Recent History
The one-party PAIGC regime led by
Joao Bernardo 'Nino' Viera passed
legislation on the formation of political
parties in 1991. However it was not until
1994 that elections were finally held.
The PAIGC retained a strong majority
in the national Assembly while Vieira
won the Presidential poll in the second
round. Observers classified the
elections as generally free and fair.
In June 1998 an army revolt against
Vieira, led by Ansumane Mane, led to
heavy fighting in and around the capital
city, Bissau. Troops from Senegal and
Guinea-Conakry arrived to support the
Vieira regime. A ceasefire at the end
of July led to several months of
uneasy peace. After ECOWAS mediation
and further temporary ceasefires, an
ECOMOG peace-keeping force was
dispatched to Bissau. The Government
of National Unity was sworn in but as
soon as ECOMOG troops began to leave
the country in May 1999, fighting
resumed with the military forces of
Ansumane Mane quickly defeating
Vieira's few loyal troops. Vieira took
refuge and was eventually allowed to
leave the country and is now in exile in
Portugal. The interim Government
organised elections with international
assistance.
BBC News Online country timeline:
Guinea-Bissau
POLITICS
Recent Political Developments
Presidential elections were held in
December 1999 and were generally
considered to have been free and fair.
Kumba Yala was elected in the second
round with 72% of the vote and was
inaugurated in February 2000.
However relations between the former
military junta of Ansumane Mane and
Yala's government were uneasy, with
Mane regularly trying to usurp the
President's powers. Matters finally
came to a head in November 2000
when (the officially retired) Mane
tried to revoke the military promotions
Yala had instigated and proclaimed
himself head of the armed forces.
There was brief fighting in Bissau
before loyalist troops prevailed. Mane
escaped with a small number of
followers. His body was later displayed
on national television - it was thought
highly likely that he was killed by
government troops.
As a result Kumba Yala's position was
strengthened. The new military
leadership pledged support for the
democratically elected President.
However the political situation
remained unstable due to Guinea
Bissau's catastrophic economic
situation, President Kumba Yala's
erratic character and frequent
sackings of Ministers and other
officials. World Bank/IMF aid was
suspended in May 2001 due to the
misuse of funds meant for military
demobilisation and other examples of
poor financial management.
In December 2001 Prime Minister Imbali
was dismissed and later accused of
corruption. Kumba Yala appointed
Alamara Nhasse as Prime Minister and
approved a new government of which
fifteen members were from his PRS
party and six more were members of
the main opposition. There were
frequent further Ministerial changes
throughout 2002. In November 2002,
Kumba Yala replaced Prime Minister
Nhasse with Mario Pires and dissolved
the National Assembly, calling for early
legislative elections. These were
scheduled for April 2003, but were
postponed twice. Opposition parties
became increasingly united in their
opposition to Kumba Yala. General
Verissimo Correia Seabra led a
successful bloodless coup against Yala
on 14 September 2003. Following
intervention by ECOWAS leaders, the
military agreed to transitional
arrangements to restore Guinea Bissau
to constitutional rule which included a
significant civilian element. A
Transitional Council has been set up
and an interim President and Prime
Minister were appointed on 28
September 2003.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Basic Economic Facts
Annual Growth: 2.7% (2002)
GDP - composition by sector:
- agriculture: 54%
- industry: 15%
- services: 31%
Industries: agricultural products
processing, beer, soft drinks
Agriculture - products: rice, corn,
beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts,
peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber;
fish
Exports - commodities: cashew nuts
70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels,
sawn lumber
Exports - partners: India 51.4%, Italy
2.7%, South Korea 2.0%, Belgium 2.0%
Aid & development: $115.4 million per
year. Most bilateral and multilateral
assistance currently suspended
Exchange rate: £1=1000 CFA
Trade Partners UK Country Profile:
Guinea Bissau
One of the poorest countries in the
world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly
on agriculture and fishing. Cashew
growing has increased remarkably in
recent years, and the country now
ranks sixth in cashew production and
perhaps first in terms of quality.
Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood
along with small amounts of peanuts,
palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the
major crop and staple food. The
conflict in 1998-9 destroyed much of
the country's small industrial sector
and some infrastructure. Financial and
economic conditions since then have
meant essential services like health and
education continue to be run down. In
1998, the economy contracted by 28%.
Although there has been economic
growth since the level of economic
activity is still significantly below its
pre 1998 level. Guinea Bissau has very
few other natural resources, although
there is hope that offshore oil
reserves may prove to be
commercially viable. The EU signed a
five-year assistance programme with
Guinea-Bissau worth 80m (US$77.5m)
in April 2002.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Guinea-Bissau's Relations with
Neighbours
Relations with Senegal have improved
significantly since the death of General
Mane. The Guinea-Bissau army has
made real efforts to expel MFDC
rebels and secure the border. Senegal
and other West African states remain
concerned about stability in
Guinea-Bissau and its effect on the
region.
Guinea-Bissau's Relations with the
International Community
Since the end of the 1998-9 conflict
the United Nations Office in
Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) has been
working with the Government on post
conflict stabilisation and improving
Guinea-Bissau's weak democratic
structures, including down-sizing the
army. Guinea-Bissau has traditionally
had close ties with Portugal (its largest
bilateral donor); the European Union,
the Netherlands and France are also
active partners. Sweden was a major
donor throughout the 1970s and 1980s
and is still active. Portugal and France
are the only EU states with Embassies
in Bissau. The US Embassy was closed
after the outbreak of war in 1999 and
has not reopened.
November 2002 saw a major focus of
international attention on Guinea-Bissau
with the visit of UN Ambassadors
representing the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) and other
multilateral organisation missions.
ECOSOC is trying to adopt a new
approach to African post-conflict
states. Proposals for a compact
between the Government of
Guinea-Bissau and the international
community and an Emergency Trust
Fund are under consideration.
The international community
condemned the coup of 14 September
2003, but welcomed the fact that
measures had been taken to restore
Guinea Bissau to constitutional rule as
soon as possible.
There is general recognition that the
country continues to face significant
economic and social problems. The
international community continues to
follow events there with concern.
Flags Of The World: Guinea Bissau
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