{"id":2496,"date":"2025-08-17T10:53:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T10:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=2496"},"modified":"2025-08-17T10:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T10:53:06","slug":"guinea-bissau-expels-portuguese-media-amid-political-turmoil-strained-colonial-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/guinea-bissau-expels-portuguese-media-amid-political-turmoil-strained-colonial-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Guinea-Bissau expels Portuguese media amid political turmoil, strained colonial ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Guinea-Bissau has expelled two Portuguese media outlets, raising concerns about media freedom.<\/li>\n
  • The expulsion is linked to political tensions surrounding President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3’s extended term.<\/li>\n
  • This situation intensifies Guinea-Bissau’s isolation and scrutiny over its democratic stability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    In a government decree issued on Friday, the administration of President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3 suspended the reporting activities of Portuguese state news agency Lusa and public broadcaster\u00a0RTP<\/strong>\u00a0Africa, including its radio arm,\u00a0RDP<\/strong>\u00a0Africa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Reuters<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0reports that the journalists have until August 19 to leave the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Foreign Minister Carlos Pinto Pereira confirmed the\u00a0expulsions, telling journalists: \u201cThe 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<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The diplomatic rift stems from President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3, a former army general elected in 2019, who had pledged to serve only one term but announced in March that he would run again,\u00a0despite opposition claims\u00a0that his mandate expired in February.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    He has since postponed elections to November 23, fueling accusations of clinging to power. On August 7, Embal\u00f3 appointed Braima Camar\u00e1 as prime minister, the third since 2020, further heightening concerns about governance in a country long marked by coups, corruption, and contested authority.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The crackdown on Portuguese media also follows Embal\u00f3\u2019s 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\u2019s isolation at a time of heightened uncertainty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    <\/svg>” alt=”President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3, who took office in 2019 after vowing to serve one term, has announced he will run again.” width=”790″ height=”510″ data-original=”https:\/\/ocdn.eu\/pulscms-transforms\/1\/6nxktkpTURBXy84YTJiZDQwOWRiN2RhM2ZmMDU0NWY2ODdjYzExMjU4ZS5qcGeSlQMAAM0Eqs0DApUCzQMWzQH-wsM” \/><\/picture><\/span><\/p>\n
    President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3, who took office in 2019 after vowing to serve one term, has announced he will run again.<\/span><\/p>\n
    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Portugal Condemns Expulsion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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    In Lisbon, the Portuguese government condemned the expulsions, calling the action \u201chighly reprehensible and unjustifiable.\u201d Portugal\u2019s foreign ministry said it had summoned Guinea-Bissau\u2019s ambassador for an urgent meeting to seek clarification.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The dispute highlights the enduring influence of\u00a0former colonial powers\u00a0in Africa\u2019s fragile democracies. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has struggled with coups, weak institutions, and persistent corruption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    While nations such as Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde have generally maintained pragmatic ties with Lisbon, Guinea-Bissau\u2019s\u00a0fragile institutions\u00a0and history of coups have often complicated the relationship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    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\u2019s poorest and most politically unstable states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Embal\u00f3, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    With presidential and legislative elections now set for November 23, the government\u2019s decision risks deepening Guinea-Bissau\u2019s isolation at a time when it needs both international legitimacy and domestic stability\u2014or worse, could trigger an unplanned coup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Olamilekan Okebiorun<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Guinea-Bissau has expelled two major Portuguese media outlets and ordered their journalists to leave 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