Verissimo Correia Seabra
| Veríssimo Correia Seabra | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Military Committee for the Restoration of Constitutional and Democratic Order | |
|
In office 14 September 2003 – 28 September 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Kumba Ialá (as President) |
| Succeeded by | Henrique Rosa (as acting President) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 February 1947 Bissau, Portuguese Guinea |
| Died | 6 October 2004 (aged 57) Bissau, Guinea-Bissau |
| Political party | None (military) |
Veríssimo Correia Seabra (February 16, 1947 – October 6, 2004) was a Guinea-Bissau general, known for leading a coup that deposed Kumba Ialá on September 14, 2003.
Correia Seabra was born in the capital city, Bissau, on February 16, 1947. He belonged to the Papel minority.
In 1963, at the age of 16, Correia Seabra joined the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) as a guerilla fighting against Portuguese colonial rule. Three years later, he was sent to study electronic engineering in Bulgaria. In 1971, he attended an artillery school in the Soviet Union. On his return to the bush war in Guinea-Bissau, he was out in charge of an artillery unit near the southern border with Guinea. In 1976, he was sent to Portugal for officer training.
In the years following independence, Correia Seabra played a key role in the internal politics of the PAICG. He participated in the 1980 military coup that overthrew President Luís Cabral. Promoted steadily through the ranks, he became deputy head of the Guinea-Bissau military contingent of the United Nations mission in Angola from 1991 to 1992. He was then appointed head of operations in military high command two years later.
Correia Seabra joined General Ansumane Mané in the 1998 uprising against President João Bernardo Vieira. The nation descended into a brief, but bloody civil war. He was again involved in a May 1999 military coup that forced President Vieira from power. Soon thereafter, he became chief of staff of the armed forces and was appointed Minister of Defense in the government named on February 19, 2000, under President Kumba Ialá. In November 2000, Mané attempted to replace Correia Seabra as chief of staff and placed him under house arrest, but Correia Seabra escaped and fighting erupted; Mané was killed in a clash with government forces a week later. Correia Seabra remained in his position.
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