Bissau-Guinean general
Verissimo Correia Seabra
(February 16, 1947 – October 6, 2004) was a
Bissau-Guinean
general, known for leading a coup that deposed
Kumba Iala
on September 14, 2003.
Early life
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Correia Seabra was born in the capital city,
Bissau
, on February 16, 1947. He belonged to the
Papel
minority.
In 1963, at the age of 16, Correia Seabra joined the
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
(PAIGC) as a guerilla fighting against
Portuguese
colonial rule. Three years later, he was sent to study
electronic engineering
in
Bulgaria
. In 1971, he attended an artillery school in the
Soviet Union
. On his return to the bush war in Guinea-Bissau, he was out in charge of an artillery unit near the southern border with
Guinea
. In 1976, he was sent to Portugal for officer training.
Career
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In the years following independence, Correia Seabra played a key role in the internal politics of the PAIGC. He participated in the 1980 military coup that overthrew President
Luis Cabral
. Promoted steadily through the ranks, he became deputy head of the Guinea-Bissau military contingent of the
United Nations
mission in
Angola
from 1991 to 1992. He was then appointed head of operations in military high command two years later.
Conflict
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Correia Seabra joined General
Ansumane Mane
in the 1998 uprising against President
Joao Bernardo Vieira
. The nation descended into a brief, but bloody
civil war
. He was again involved in a May 1999 military coup that forced President Vieira from power. Soon thereafter, he became
chief of staff
of the
armed forces
and was appointed Minister of Defense in the government named on February 19, 2000, under President Kumba Iala.
[2]
[3]
In November 2000, Mane attempted to replace Correia Seabra as chief of staff and placed him under house arrest, but Correia Seabra escaped and fighting erupted;
[4]
Mane was killed in a clash with government forces a week later. Correia Seabra remained in his position.
Soldier payment controversy
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As Iala’s behavior became more erratic and the government failed to pay several months of wages owed to soldiers, he warned the President that the military would be forced to intervene again unless salaries were paid. Correia Seabra led the bloodless coup that ousted Kumba Iala from power on September 14, 2003. It was welcomed by most Guineans while provoking condemnation from the international community. His first act as head of the 32-member Military Committee for the Restoration of Constitutional and Democratic Order was to convene a meeting of political, religious, and
civil society
leaders to choose a new civilian-led government that would be charged with organizing elections.
Henrique Rosa was nominated to head the
caretaker government
and became president on September 28, 2003. Seabra continued to serve as chairman of the
National Transition Council
. Free and fair
parliamentary elections
were held on March 28, 2004.
Death
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On October 6, 2004, a
mutiny
by soldiers over unpaid salaries turned violent. Verissimo Correia Seabra along with an aide, Lieutenant Colonel Domingos Barros, were detained and beaten to death by revolting soldiers.
[5]
The
Portuguese
president,
Jorge Sampaio
, also called for the restoration of legality in Guinea-Bissau, after learning of the death of Verissimo Seabra.
[6]
References
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