The military junta in Guinea-Bissau has dismissed Lieutenant-General Sadji Fati, a former defence minister and close ally of ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, in the latest move to remove officials associated with the former leader.
According to the press, Fati, who served as Embaló’s military adviser and headed the presidential civil office at the palace was dismissed with immediate effect.
The development is part of a series of changes affecting personnel in the country’s defence and security institutions since the military takeover that ousted Embaló, who is currently in exile in Morocco.
General Horta N’tam, the head of the junta, has overseen measures that appear to signal a growing distance between the military leadership and the former president.
Several members of Embaló’s presidential guard and officers considered close to him have reportedly been removed from influential positions.
The junta also recently dismissed Interior Minister, General Mama Saliu Embaló, and Fisheries Minister, Maria Da Cruz Correia, both regarded as allies of the former president.
The military seized power on November 26, a day before the scheduled announcement of provisional results from Guinea-Bissau’s presidential and legislative elections.
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It subsequently suspended the electoral process.
The junta has pledged to organise fresh presidential and legislative elections on December 6 as part of efforts to restore civilian rule.
However, the National Electoral Commission said last week that the conditions were not in place to hold the elections as scheduled.
Before the commission’s announcement, Embaló said he intended to contest the presidency again, despite remaining in exile.
The latest dismissal adds to uncertainty over Guinea-Bissau’s political transition and the prospects for a return to constitutional civilian governance.
