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Sao Tome Government Toppled in Dawn Coup

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
July 17, 2003
Posted to the web July 18, 2003

By Ikechukwu Eze & Ben Agande, With Agency Reports
Lagos
Army rebels in the tiny West African island state of Sao Tome and Principe
yesterday toppled the government of President Fradigue de Menezes who is
currently in Abuja attending the Sixth Leon Sullivan Summit of influential
African and African-American leaders and business people. The rebels declared a
"junta of national salvation", saying the deposed leaders had no solution to
the nation's problems. But in a swift reaction Nigeria , Portugal and the
African Union have condemned the coup, urging the rebels to quit immediately to
enable the democratically elected government return to power. A man in civilian
dress surrounded by armed soldiers read out the announcement of the take over
on state television hours after the dawn coup, which appears to have been
largely bloodless.
Sao Tome and Principe, one of the world's poorest states, is expecting a
windfall from offshore oilfields due to begin producing within four years. The
pustch was immediately condemned by the Federal Government of Nigeria which
asked the rebels to reinstate the civilian government. The rebels however, said
in their statement that they had dissolved all national institutions and would
shortly form a government for an unspecified "transition period". Having seized
the Prime Minister and other key officials, they pledged not to harm any member
of the deposed government. The rebels appear to have exploited the absence of
President Fradique de Menezes. Gunshots and exploding rockets and grenades were
heard in the capital, Sao Tome and sporadic firing continued throughout the
morning but there were no indications of casualties.
The rebels took control of government buildings, state TV and radio, the
central bank and the airport. They seized Prime Minister Maria das Neves along
with Head of the National Assembly Dionisio Dias, Defence Minister Fernando
Daqua and Natural Resources Minister Rafael Branco. Mr Branco is considered a
key member of the government as he handles the oil portfolio. Political
analyst, Antonio Agiar, who is in Sao Tome, told the BBC's Network Africa
programme that the capital was pretty calm and the sound of shooting had
stopped.
"There are people on the streets but less than usual," he said. The Portuguese
ambassador, Mario de Jesus Santos, said he was unaware of any "physical
confrontations". The rebels' leader has been named by the Portuguese news
agency Lusa as Major Fernando "Cobo" Pereira.
Foreign Minister Meira Rita said the coup had been led by a unit of soldiers
who had received training in South Africa.
Correspondents say the army, which led the last coup in 1995, has been
complaining of low pay and poor living conditions in recent months.
In a brief, initial speech on national radio, Major Pereira ordered all members
of the government and parliament to report to police stations.
In their later statement, the rebels said they had acted in response to the
"continuing social and economic decline of the country".
Alex Vines from the Royal Institute for International Affairs told BBC World
that he suspected that control of the oil money is behind the coup.
Last year, the United States was considering increasing military co-operation
with the Sao Tome Government amid reports that the US was trying to buy more
West African oil.
Portugal's ambassador went into talks with the rebels on Wednesday afternoon in
a bid to clarify their demands.
Meanwhile Sao Tome President Fradique de Menezes met with his Nigerian
counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday to discuss the situation in his country
after he was overthrown in a bloodless coup. "The Sao Tome and Principe
president held a meeting with Obasanjo on the situation in our country. De
Menezes is in constant touch with his country and hopes to return home soon,
said a Sao Tome official on condition of anonymity. He ruled out the
possibility of the deposed leader returning immediately to his country in view
of the existing tension there. "Returning immediately is impossible. The coup
plotters have shut the airport. All we are doing now is to try and see how we
can make the coup leaders see reason and return the country to democracy," he
said. "We are trying to see how the rebel soldiers can be persuaded to abandon
their line of action," he said. The leader of the coup, Major Fernando Perei
said in Sao Tome that the return of De Menezes was not a priority issue at the
moment, according to Portugal's Lusa news agency. The bloodless coup was
launched before dawn yesterday in the tiny west African archipelago as
President De Menezes was attending the Sixth Leon Sullivan Summit of
influential African and African-American leaders and business people here.
Nigeria has unequivocally condemned the putsch.
The federal government yesterday called on the coupist in the Country of Sao
Tome and Precipe to immediately restore the democratically elected government
of that country to power.
In a statement in Abuja yesterday, the government said it was in consultation
with the leadership of the African Union for a concerted response to the coup
in that country which it described as 'a condemnable act, which can only
tarnish the name of the continent'The statement further warned that any act of
terror by the coupist against the lives and properties of Nigerians living in
that country would be treated 'seriously and would evoke appropriate
response'The statement reads:"The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
has received with shock and consternation the news of the coup d'etat in the
sister state of Sao Tome and Principe. The government condemns unequivocally
this violation of the democratic process. Needless to observe that the
development is also a gross violation of article 4 of the constitutive Act of
the African Union."Nigeria is further alarmed at the news that its Embassy in
Sao Tome and Principe has been surrounded by armed troops and wishes to warn
that any act of terror by the coupist that threaten the lives and properties of
its staff and the Nigeria Citizens resident in Sao Tome would be treated
seriously and will evoke appropriate response."The federal Government of
Nigeria calls upon the coupist to immediately restore the democratically
elected government of Sao Tome and Principe to Power. It is in consultation
with the leadership of the African Union for concerted response to this
condemnable act in Sao Tome and Principe, which can only tarnish the image of
our continent" the statement concluded.
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, the chairman of African Union (AU) ,
appealed for a speedy return to "constitutional order" and a grouping of former
Portuguese colonies has also condemned the coup.
Sao Tome Foreign Minister Mateus Meira Rita said from Portugal that the ousted
government wanted talks with the coup-leaders aimed at the "immediate
restoration of constitutional order".

   

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