Guinea-Bissau
Bissau opposition demands President's resignation

afrol News, 7 October - President Kumba Yala is becoming the focal point of opposition in unstable Guinea-Bissau. The political opposition is now uniting to demand his resignation after several civil rights groups and churches have blamed him for the country's stagnation.

Guinea-Bissau doesn't want to find tranquillity and political stability after the 1998/99 civil war. There have been repeated conflicts between civilian and military authorities, the country's political blocks and the government and civil society. As reconciliation and unity fails, groups agree that the country's real problem is President Kumba Yala, in power since January 2000.

The Bissauan opposition parties this weekend joined hands demanding the resignation of President Yala. The reason was the alleged interference with the independent judiciary earlier this year. President Yala further had encouraged tribalism to destabilise the country, the groups claim.

The main parties, including the Guinea-Bissau Resistance Party and the African Party for Independence in Guinea, in a joint statement said President Yala was "the principal obstacle" to the small country's "peace and development." Therefore, the President should step down. 

Also the UN, which has been monitoring Guinea-Bissau since the civil war, has become more critical towards President Yala lately. In July, the UN Security Council urgently called on President Yala to "commit himself" to reform. This included a "full respect for national reconciliation, good governance and the implementation of the programme for demobilisation, reintegration and reinsertion of former combatants," and to "close monitoring of the management of public finances."

Slowly losing support within the UN, which no longer sees President Yala as the guarantee for peace, civilian democracy and development, opposition to him has slowly grown from within. 

In September, church bishops had called for national reconciliation saying the country was facing hard times due to lack of government action, frequent leadership changes and a succession of ministers and judges, failure to draft a new constitution approved by the national assembly, and human rights violations, according to UN agency reports.

The united call by the country's main opposition parties however not is expected to move President Yala to step down. The President also remains a popular figure within many circles, where he still represents the first democratic force heading the country. 

Sources: Based on Lusa, press reports UN sources and afrol archives

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