Gunfire erupted in the capital of Guinea-Bissau on Friday morning following an attempt by National Guard soldiers to free a detained minister and a senior state official. The National Guard members initially took the officials into custody before seeking refuge in barracks south of the capital.

Efforts to negotiate a resolution failed, leading to the intervention of special forces and an ensuing exchange of gunfire. Eventually, calm was restored later in the day.

The detained individuals, Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and Secretary of State for the Treasury Antonio Monteiro were under investigation for the alleged irregular withdrawal of $10 million (£8 million) of state funds. An anti-corruption investigation had questioned them the day before regarding payments made to 11 companies.

During a parliamentary session earlier in the week, the leader of the main opposition party claimed that the companies’ owners had close ties to the country’s governing coalition leaders. Mr. Seidi defended the payments as legal.

After Thursday’s questioning, both Seidi and Monteiro were arrested and detained to avoid jeopardising the ongoing investigations, according to local media reports. Later that evening, National Guard soldiers reportedly stormed the police cells near Bandim market, armed with AK-47 weapons and bazookas, and freed the detained officials, taking them to an undisclosed location.

President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who is currently attending the UN’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai, was not present during the incident. In response to the situation, regional stabilisation forces deployed by the West African bloc, Ecowas, were observed patrolling the streets on Friday morning, as reported by the AFP news agency.

Guinea-Bissau has a history of coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. In February of the previous year, the president claimed to have survived a coup attempt linked to drug trafficking, although details remained unclear, leading to skepticism and unanswered questions about the events surrounding the incident.

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By Tata Mbunwe

Women who have been championing peace and humanitarian work in Cameroon have been honoured with the German Prize for Africa 2023.

The recognition was handed to three representatives of the National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon – Esther Omam, Sally Mboumien and Marthe Wandou – in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Nov. 30.

The ceremony was presided over by Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Vice-President of the German Parliament.

The award acknowledges the enormous efforts of these three women – who stand as the face of the National Women’s Convention – in empowering women facing conflict, gender inequality and economic hardship.

“This is a great recognition for the work of women peace builders,” said Esther Omam.

“The members of the platform are happy to accept this act of recognition on behalf of all the women of Cameroon, those living in conflict zones and those committed to building peace at all levels and in all senses,” she added.

The convention is the largest grouping for women in Cameroon. Created in January 2021, the body consists of 77 organizations that are advocating for peace in the country.

They held their first national convention in July 2021 in Yaounde, with nearly 1,800 women from across Cameroon in attendance.

After the convention, Esther Omam, Sally Mboumien and Marthe Wandou have continued championing peace and humanitarian works in the country.

Omam, who is from the South West, through her Reach Out organization, continues to provide healthcare, education, economic empowerment and psychosocial support to women affected by the Anglophone Crisis.

On her part, Sally Mboumien, a rights activist from Cameroon’s Far North Region, has been helping women affected by the Boko Haram conflict to regain their livelihoods through education and economic empowerment.

In the North West, Marthe Wandou has also helped thousands of women in the Region, affected by armed conflict, access education.

“Together, we have built an alliance that is stronger, louder and more numerous than those who profit from war,” Sally Mboumien told DW.

“We are ready to dialogue, ready to mediate, ready to support initiatives.”

The German Africa Foundation’s award comes as a recognition of the efforts of these women.

The award has been honoring African personalities since 1993.

The prize goes to outstanding individuals who are committed to peace, democracy, reconciliation, arts and culture and social progress.

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Christophe Mekam, a 48-year-old man, has died in a hospital while visiting his ailing colleague in Douala, in the Littoral region of Cameroon.

Local reports suggest that the deceased visited his ill colleague, Nicolette Missongui, at a clinic in Bessengue, Douala, and collapsed on the latter’s sick bed.

According to Le Popoli, a Cameroonian satiric newspaper, “The medical staff rushed into the room. With his eyes rolling back and his body shivering, as if it were an epileptic attack, the visitor finally took his last breath and died.”

The media outlet further narrated that the wife of the deceased, a few moments later, stormed the hospital in disbelief, claiming they had just separated before he went to the hospital.

“This couple had shared lunch together earlier in the day before Christophe left for this hospital,” Le Popoli added.

Reacting to the incident, a Facebook user, Michelle Michou, urged individuals to abstain from the practise of sitting on sick beds while visiting ailing relatives or friends.

“There are some things you just don’t do these days, like sitting on a sick person’s bed because you don’t know what the patient is suffering from. Avoid even going there because competition in companies can push some people to do anything or even take the job of others.”

Meanwhile, others speculated about a malicious act on the part of the deceased. “You never know; the guy’s mission could be to finish with the girl, but when he didn’t succeed, the members came and dropped the hammer on his head.”

Security forces have initiated investigations to determine the exact circumstances that led to the death of Christophe Mekam.

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