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Business Insider
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Guinea-Bissau expels Portuguese media amid political turmoil, strained colonial ties
Guinea-Bissau has expelled two major Portuguese media outlets and ordered their journalists to leave the country, escalating tensions with Lisbon and raising questions about media freedom in the fragile West African state. Guinea-Bissau has expelled two Portuguese media outlets, raising concerns about media freedom. The expulsion is linked to political tensions surrounding President Umaro Sissoco Embaló's extended term. This situation intensifies Guinea-Bissau's isolation and scrutiny over its democratic stability. In a government decree issued on Friday, the administration of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló suspended the reporting activities of Portuguese state news agency Lusa and public broadcaster RTP Africa, including its radio arm, RDP Africa. Reuters reports that the journalists have until August 19 to leave the country. Foreign Minister Carlos Pinto Pereira confirmed the expulsions, telling journalists: ' The expulsion is a government decision. We will provide the reasoning behind this decision at a press briefing, probably tomorrow (Saturday). We have received the reactions of the Portuguese government. We will address it in an appropriate forum.' The diplomatic rift stems from President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, a former army general elected in 2019, who had pledged to serve only one term but announced in March that he would run again, despite opposition claims that his mandate expired in February. He has since postponed elections to November 23, fueling accusations of clinging to power. On August 7, Embaló appointed Braima Camará as prime minister, the third since 2020, further heightening concerns about governance in a country long marked by coups, corruption, and contested authority. The crackdown on Portuguese media also follows Embaló's earlier threats to expel an ECOWAS mediation mission, which had attempted to broker consensus over the election timetable. Observers warn that the latest move could deepen Guinea-Bissau's isolation at a time of heightened uncertainty. Portugal Condemns Expulsion In Lisbon, the Portuguese government condemned the expulsions, calling the action 'highly reprehensible and unjustifiable.' Portugal's foreign ministry said it had summoned Guinea-Bissau's ambassador for an urgent meeting to seek clarification. The dispute highlights the enduring influence of former colonial powers in Africa's fragile democracies. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has struggled with coups, weak institutions, and persistent corruption. However, Portugal has remained one of its most important diplomatic and cultural partners, particularly through the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), which Guinea-Bissau currently chairs. While nations such as Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde have generally maintained pragmatic ties with Lisbon, Guinea-Bissau's fragile institutions and history of coups have often complicated the relationship. The removal of Portuguese media, long viewed as a link to the wider Lusophone world, marks a significant rupture, raising questions about media freedom and international oversight in one of the world's poorest and most politically unstable states. Embaló, who was due in Lisbon on Monday for a CPLP ceremony marking his tenure as rotating president, has now cancelled the trip, casting a shadow over the organisation meant to strengthen cooperation among Lusophone nations. With presidential and legislative elections now set for November 23, the government's decision risks deepening Guinea-Bissau's isolation at a time when it needs both international legitimacy and domestic stability—or worse, could trigger an unplanned coup.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Portugal protests expulsion of reporters from Guinea-Bissau before election
LISBON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Portugal's government on Friday condemned the expulsion of reporting teams of state news agency Lusa and two African units of broadcaster RTP from Guinea-Bissau in the run-up to a postponed election scheduled to be held in November in the West African country. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had "immediately summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon for explanations and clarifications" for a meeting that will take place on Saturday. "The Portuguese government strongly condemns the decision of the government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to order the removal of Lusa, RTP Africa, and RDP Africa from that country and their respective termination of broadcasts," it said, calling the move "highly reprehensible and unjustifiable". No explanations for the move were provided by either Guinea-Bissau, which announced the expulsion in a government decree earlier on Friday, or Portugal. The representatives of the media outlets have until August 19 to leave the country. Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in March he would run for a second term, backtracking on earlier promises to step down and stoking tensions over postponed elections, with his opponents saying that his term expired in February. A dispute over when Embalo's presidential term, which began in 2020, should end has heightened tensions that risk unrest in the former Portuguese colony with a history of military coups. On August 7, Embalo, a former army general, appointed by decree a new prime minister, Braima Camara - the third premier since Embalo took office in 2020 - replacing Rui Duarte de Barros. In March, a political mission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), deployed to help reach a consensus on how to conduct the election, said it had to leave "following threats by H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it". The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to be held on November 23.
