Guinea: Prime Minister Reveals Failed Coup Attempt

A coup attempt failed on Thursday night in Sao Tome and Principe, a small Gulf of Guinea island nation considered a model of parliamentary democracy in Africa, Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada said.

​​​​​​In a video verified and sent to AFP in Libreville by Justice Minister Ilsa Maria dos Santos Amado Vaz, Trovoada claimed that four men—including the former president of the outgoing national assembly Delfim Neves and a former military officer who had already attempted a coup in 2009—were arrested after they tried to attack the army headquarters.

The head of government, who appears seated at a desk with tired features, wearing a T-shirt under a raincoat, was keen to reassure the population and the international community. 

"There was an attempted coup d'état which began around 00.40 and (...) ended shortly after 6 am," he said, adding: "The armed forces were attacked in the barracks".

A resident contacted by telephone by AFP said on condition of anonymity that she had heard "automatic and heavier weapons fire, as well as detonations, for two hours inside the army headquarters" in the capital Sao Tome.

As of the time of curating this report, details of the failed coup are Still ongoing.