Baciro Dabó
Encyclopedia
Major
Baciro Dabó (12 March 1958 – 5 June 2009) was a Guinea-Bissau
an politician. Considered to have been a close ally of President João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira
, he served as Minister of Territorial Administration and was standing as a candidate in the June 2009 presidential election
when he was killed by security forces, allegedly because he was involved in a coup plot
.
and "foment an ethno-religious war" had been foiled and that the plotters had been arrested. Soon afterwards, Yala dismissed Dabó from his post on 27 February 2001 without explanation. As of 2002, Dabó was an official at the Ministry of the Interior.
Dabó was a senior member of the governing African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
(PAIGC) and a close ally of President Vieira. He was appointed as Secretary of State for Public Order on 9 November 2005, serving in that position until Mamadu Saico Djalo was appointed to replace him on 28 July 2006; subsequently he was appointed as Vieira's Information Adviser in late November 2006.
When a three-party coalition government hostile to Vieira was appointed in mid-April 2007, Dabó was included in the government as Minister of Internal Administration; he was the only minister in the government who was considered a close ally of Vieira. Vieira dismissed him from that post in October 2007; some suggested that he was dismissed due to pressure from opposition leaders and military officials. Following the November 2008 parliamentary election
, Dabó regained a position in the government as Minister of Territorial Administration on 7 January 2009.
Dabó was reportedly known for having a "flamboyant lifestyle", and rumors suggested that he was involved in the drug trade, which is pervasive in Guinea-Bissau.
Vieira was assassinated by members of the armed forces on 2 March 2009; the soldiers killed him in retaliation for an explosion which killed Chief of Staff Batista Tagme Na Wai. There had been a long and violent feud between Vieira and Na Wai. No one was prosecuted for the killing and a presidential election was scheduled for 28 June to select a new president. Dabó resigned from PAIGC and as a minister in mid-May 2009 to put himself forward as an independent candidate
and became one of 13 candidates contesting the election. Election campaigning was due to open on 6 June.
, a "medical source" told them that Dabó had suffered three AK-47
bullet wounds to the abdomen and one to the head, fired from short range.
The Guinea-Bissauan authorities present a different series of events and say that he died in an exchange of fire whilst resisting arrest over an alleged coup plot. Former Defence Minister
Hélder Proença
was also reported to have been killed on a road between Bula
and Bissau
alongside his driver and a bodyguard. Several other PAIGC politicians have been detained by security forces as part of the coup investigation. The Guinea-Bissauan state intelligence service says that the coup's aims were "physically eliminating the head of the armed forces, overthrowing the interim head of state and dissolving the national assembly".
It has been suggested by journalist Jean Gomis and reported by the BBC that he may have been killed on the orders of military leaders who feared prosecution over the assassination of President Vieira had Dabó won the election. Analysts consulted by the Reuters news agency stated that if a power vacuum
occurs, Latin America
n drug cartel
s may be able to extend their influence over the country, which serves as a port for the shipping of cocaine
to Europe
. United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
said that he was "concerned about the emerging pattern of killings of high-profile personalities in Guinea-Bissau" and stressed "the importance and urgency of conducting a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into the circumstances" of the killings.
The United Nations Security Council
condemned the killings of Dabó and Proença "in the strongest terms" on 9 June. Both the UN and the African Union urged the election to proceed on schedule, however.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Baciro Dabó (12 March 1958 – 5 June 2009) was a Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
an politician. Considered to have been a close ally of President João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira
João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira was the President of Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2009. After seizing power in 1980, Vieira ruled for 19 years, and he won a multiparty presidential election in 1994. He was ousted at the end of the 1998–1999 civil war and went into exile...
, he served as Minister of Territorial Administration and was standing as a candidate in the June 2009 presidential election
Guinea-Bissau presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in Guinea-Bissau on 28 June 2009 following the assassination of President João Bernardo Vieira on 2 March 2009...
when he was killed by security forces, allegedly because he was involved in a coup plot
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
.
Life and career
Dabó had been a singer and a journalist before entering politics. As head of President Kumba Yala's personal security, he announced in February 2001 that a plot to kill Yala upon his return from medical treatment in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and "foment an ethno-religious war" had been foiled and that the plotters had been arrested. Soon afterwards, Yala dismissed Dabó from his post on 27 February 2001 without explanation. As of 2002, Dabó was an official at the Ministry of the Interior.
Dabó was a senior member of the governing African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde or PAIGC is a political party that governed Guinea-Bissau from the independence of the then Portuguese Guinea in 1974, until the late 1990s, and from 2004 to 2005. Currently it is the party with the largest number of seats in the...
(PAIGC) and a close ally of President Vieira. He was appointed as Secretary of State for Public Order on 9 November 2005, serving in that position until Mamadu Saico Djalo was appointed to replace him on 28 July 2006; subsequently he was appointed as Vieira's Information Adviser in late November 2006.
When a three-party coalition government hostile to Vieira was appointed in mid-April 2007, Dabó was included in the government as Minister of Internal Administration; he was the only minister in the government who was considered a close ally of Vieira. Vieira dismissed him from that post in October 2007; some suggested that he was dismissed due to pressure from opposition leaders and military officials. Following the November 2008 parliamentary election
Guinea-Bissau legislative election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held on 16 November 2008 in Guinea-Bissau. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde won a majority of 67 out of 100 seats, while the Party for Social Renewal won 28 seats.-Chronology:...
, Dabó regained a position in the government as Minister of Territorial Administration on 7 January 2009.
Dabó was reportedly known for having a "flamboyant lifestyle", and rumors suggested that he was involved in the drug trade, which is pervasive in Guinea-Bissau.
Vieira was assassinated by members of the armed forces on 2 March 2009; the soldiers killed him in retaliation for an explosion which killed Chief of Staff Batista Tagme Na Wai. There had been a long and violent feud between Vieira and Na Wai. No one was prosecuted for the killing and a presidential election was scheduled for 28 June to select a new president. Dabó resigned from PAIGC and as a minister in mid-May 2009 to put himself forward as an independent candidate
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
and became one of 13 candidates contesting the election. Election campaigning was due to open on 6 June.
Death
His supporters say that between 3:30 and 4 am (local and GMT) on 5 June 2009 a group of around 30 uniformed and armed soldiers arrived at his home and demanded to see him. The soldiers were then said to have shot their way to Dabó's bedroom where he was asleep in bed with his wife, injuring some of his six-member security team in the process. The soldiers are then alleged to have shot Dabó several times, killing him instantly. According to Agence France-PresseAgence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
, a "medical source" told them that Dabó had suffered three AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
bullet wounds to the abdomen and one to the head, fired from short range.
The Guinea-Bissauan authorities present a different series of events and say that he died in an exchange of fire whilst resisting arrest over an alleged coup plot. Former Defence Minister
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
Hélder Proença
Helder Proença
Helder Proença was a Guinea-Bissauan politician who served as the country's former Minister of Defense during the administration of former President João Bernardo Vieira...
was also reported to have been killed on a road between Bula
Bula (Guinea-Bissau)
Bula is a Sector in the Cacheu Region of Guinea-Bissau....
and Bissau
Bissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos...
alongside his driver and a bodyguard. Several other PAIGC politicians have been detained by security forces as part of the coup investigation. The Guinea-Bissauan state intelligence service says that the coup's aims were "physically eliminating the head of the armed forces, overthrowing the interim head of state and dissolving the national assembly".
It has been suggested by journalist Jean Gomis and reported by the BBC that he may have been killed on the orders of military leaders who feared prosecution over the assassination of President Vieira had Dabó won the election. Analysts consulted by the Reuters news agency stated that if a power vacuum
Power vacuum
A power vacuum is, in its broadest sense, an expression for a condition that exists when someone has lost control of something and no one has replaced them. It is usually used to refer to a political situation that can occur when a government has no identifiable central authority...
occurs, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
s may be able to extend their influence over the country, which serves as a port for the shipping of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
said that he was "concerned about the emerging pattern of killings of high-profile personalities in Guinea-Bissau" and stressed "the importance and urgency of conducting a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into the circumstances" of the killings.
The United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
condemned the killings of Dabó and Proença "in the strongest terms" on 9 June. Both the UN and the African Union urged the election to proceed on schedule, however.