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Sub Saharan Africa

Guinea-Bissau

 Flag of Guinea-Bissau

Last reviewed: 04 June 2009

Country information

Map of Guinea-Bissau

Area: 36,120 sq km
Population: 1.5 million (2008 United Nations estimate)
Capital City: Bissau
People and languages: The main ethnic groups of Guinea-Bissau are the Balanta, the Fula, the Manjaca, the Mandinga and the Papel. Portuguese is the official language. Crioulo and indigenous African languages are widely spoken.
Religion(s): Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs are all practised.
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA franc), pegged to the Euro.
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).
Interim Head of State: President Raimundo PEREIRA
Prime Minister: Carlos Gomez Junior
Membership of major international groupings/organisations: United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA), African Development Bank (AFDB), Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).

HEALTH

Health Needs 

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$442 million (2008 est)
Annual Growth: 3.8% (2008 est)
Inflation: 3.9% (2008 est)
Main economic sectors: agricultural products (peanuts, palm kernels, cashew nuts, rice), cotton, beer, soft drinks, timber, fish.
Main trade partners: India, China, Portugal, France, Nigeria, and Senegal.
Exchange rate: Euro 1 = 655.957 FCFA (pegged).

Guinea-Bissau’s economy is weak and is dependent on low value-added primary products (mainly cashew nuts) and subsistence crop production. There are a very high number of public sector employees, including a large army, and the government has recurrent difficulties meeting salary obligations. There is some hope that off-shore oil will be found in Guinea-Bissau waters, part of which are managed by a joint Senegalese-Guinea-Bissau organisation (the Agence de Gestion et de Cooperation).

HISTORY

Guinea-Bissau was a Portuguese colony. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), fought a protracted guerrilla war for the independence of both colonies. It was led by the famous revolutionary leader Amilcar Cabral. He was assassinated by dissidents in his own movement in January 1973. However, Guinea-Bissau unilaterally declared its independence under the leadership of his brother Luis Cabral in September of the same year. Following the carnation revolution in Lisbon in April 1974, Portugal withdrew its troops and recognised the independence of Guinea Bissau.

Luis Cabral governed Guinea-Bissau as a one-party state, with socialist policies but a non-aligned foreign policy. He was overthrown by a coup led by Joao Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira, a native of Guinea-Bissau, in 1980. This coup ended aspirations for an eventual political union with Cape Verde. Many of those of Cape Verdean descent in the leadership were purged from its ranks. The coup was the beginning of a pattern in Guinea-Bissau of military coups and instability, which has persisted until quite recently.

Following the March 2009 assassination of President Viera, the interim Head of State is the parliamentary speaker Raimundo PEREIRA. Elections are due to occur in June 2009.

BBC News Country Timeline: Guinea-Bissau

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

In the 1990s, relations with neighbouring Senegal were strained due to incidents in the border area. Several times in the 1990s, Guinea-Bissau accused the Senegalese army of encroaching on Guinea-Bissau territory in their fight against Casamance separatists, whom the Senegalese accused Guinea-Bissau of supporting and arming. Relations have improved significantly since the death of General Mane, and the subsequent efforts by the Guinea-Bissau army to expel the Casamance separatists from the country. Guinea-Bissau and Senegal have also had a land and maritime border dispute, which was resolved in 1995 after being taken to the ICJ by Guinea-Bissau. Relations with other neighbours have generally been good. In 1997 Guinea-Bissau joined the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and thereby the Franc Zone, giving up its currency in favour of the West African Franc. ECOWAS brokered the Abuja peace agreement of November 1998 that paved the way for eventual elections in the following year.

On the wider international stage, Guinea-Bissau has enjoyed close relations with Portugal since independence, despite occasional disputes related to the presence of dissidents or opposition leaders in Lisbon. Guinea-Bissau looks to Portugal to support its case in the international donor community. Portugal and France are the only EU states with embassies in Bissau. In 1996 Guinea-Bissau was a founding member of the community of Portuguese speaking states (the CPLP) and recently hosted the CPLP Assembly. The CPLP has been active in trying to mediate during periods of instability in Guinea-Bissau.

The United Nations has worked to help the country achieve stability since 1999, via the United Nations Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) now headed by a Nigerian diplomat, Shola Omoregie. In October 2007, the UN Security Council referred Guinea Bissau to the UN Peace Building Commission. The PBC is helping Guinea Bissau with its electoral preparation. In April 2008, the first advisors arrived as part of an EU mission to help with security Sector Reform in the country.

African Union
ECOWAS

Guinea-Bissau's Relations with the UK

British interests in Guinea-Bissau are covered by the British Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. The British Honorary Consul in Bissau is Mr Jan Van Maanen. Britain's Ambassador in Senegal is Mr Christopher Trott. The Guinea-Bissau Embassy in Paris is accredited to Britain.

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 coastline is heavily indented with many creeks and mangrove swamps. The climate is generally hot and humid.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Trade and Investment with the UK

UK Trade with Guinea-Bissau is on a very small scale: £0.67 million worth of British exports in 2006 and £91,000 of imports.

UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Guinea-Bissau

Development and Development Aid

Guinea-Bissau’s already weak economy was shattered by the protracted conflict of 1998 and continued instability thereafter. The country’s rudimentary infrastructure was badly damaged. The population is desperately poor. Life expectancy at birth is 45 years and the country is ranked low, at 172 out of 177, in the UNDP’s 2005 human development index for 2004.

Relations with aid donors broke down from the late 1990s as a result of instability and financial mismanagement. However, the relative stability of the current government has brought some improvements. The country signed a IMF staff monitored programme early in 2005. This was renewed in March 2006. Negotiations for an Emergency Post Conflict Assistance programme (EPCA) Portugal is the largest bilateral donor. The UK provides funds via the EU and UN agencies. In September 2004 the European Council decided to conclude Article 96 negotiations and normalise relations with Guinea-Bissau. The UK also funds occasional projects in the area of good governance and human rights and has contributed to mine clearing activities. The UK has conducted visits to help the Bissau authorities to define a policy of security sector reform.

Economy and Development Links

World Bank
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Franc Zone
European Union (EU)

POLITICS

Under domestic and international pressure, Vieira accepted multi-party democracy in 1991. Guinea-Bissau is now a presidential democracy which allows for multiparty politics and has an elected national assembly. Vieira, at the head of the PAIGC (the party formed and led by the Cabrals, but taken over by Vieira), won the first Presidential poll in 1994. In June 1998 a coup attempt led to a protracted stalemate between loyalist and rebel forces. Troops from neighbouring Senegal and Guinea, as well as from the regional peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, intervened before elections were eventually held in December 1999 and January 2000. The opposition leader Kumba Yala was elected in the second round with 72% of the vote and was sworn into office in February 2000.

The 1999 elections failed to resolve the tensions between the government and the military hierarchy. In November 2000 an attempted rebellion by Mane was cut short by forces loyal to the president and rebel leader General Mane was killed. However, Yala’s rule was characterised by chronic political instability as he constantly sacked ministers and reshuffled his government. Eventually he was deposed in a bloodless coup in September 2003. All political parties, including Yala's own PRS, supported the coup. The military handed power to the businessman Henrique Pereira Rosa as interim President. Legislative elections were held in March 2004. No party came out with an overall majority, but the PAIGC, won 45 out of the 102 seats.

The first round of presidential elections took place on 19 June 2005. Yala was beaten into third place by Vieira and Malam Bacai Sanha (the latter standing for the PAIGC), who went into a second round on 24 July. Yala and his supporters initially refused to accept the results of the first poll and 3 died in ensuing protests. However, after mediation by President Wade of neighbouring Senegal, he conceded defeat and declared his support for Vieira in the second round. Vieira emerged as the winner in a close finish, and he was sworn in as President on 1 October. The government coalition collapsed, however, in March 2007 when the National Assembly withdrew its support. After a stand-off the opposition leader Martinho N’Dafa Kabi became Prime Minister in April, and the political situation in the country now appears to have steadied. The mandate of the legislature ended on April 21st 2008. The President then passed a temporary constitutional amendment allowing the continuation of the legislature until further elections could take place. These occurred on 16 November 2008 and resulted in a new Prime Minister, Carlos Gomez Junior, being appointed in January 2009.

Following the March 2009 assassination of President Viera, the interim Head of State is the parliamentary speaker Raimundo PEREIRA. Elections are due to occur in June 2009.

In recent months several media reports have bought to public attention a growing problem of drug trafficking via Guinea Bissau. Drugs coming from Latin America are being smuggled to Europe via the country, taking advantage of the mangrove swamps and jagged coastline, and the poor capacity of the government to deal with the problem.

BBC News: Africa

HUMAN RIGHTS

Guinea-Bissau has a poor human rights record. Opposition politicians and journalists have frequently been harassed in the course of their work. This is partly due to low capacity in the security services, the judiciary and the prison system. It is also due to successive governments acting in an arbitrary manner, undermining the rule of law and allowing the development of a culture of impunity for petty corruption in the police and armed forces. There are a number of credible recent reports that journalists investigating the drug trade are being harassed.

Human Rights Report

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