At the end of March, villagers discovered the body of a man in a swampy area about 30 kilometres from Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. Witnesses described the victim as badly wounded, with cuts consistent with a bladed weapon and two gunshot wounds to the head.
The dead man was identified as Vigario Luis Balanta, a 35-year-old teacher and a prominent critic of the military leadership that seized power in a coup months earlier and removed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. Balanta was a leading member of Po di Terra (Dust of the Earth), a civil society movement that has mobilized against the transition to military rule. Local press said he had been reported missing, briefly released, kidnapped in the Pilun district of Bissau and found dead two days later.
International bodies reacted strongly. The United Nations called the incident a brutal killing and linked it to a shrinking civic and democratic space since the November 2025 coup. The UN human rights office noted a pattern of arbitrary detentions, assaults, harassment of human rights defenders and opposition figures, the dispersal of demonstrations and suspensions of radio broadcasts.
In a January interview, Balanta had vowed to continue organizing despite fear on the streets. He described Po di Terra as motivated by love for the country and committed to defending it. After his death, civil society groups including Po di Terra and the Bissau-Guinean League of Human Rights accused the transitional military regime, or forces aligned with it, of responsibility for the murder.
Activists said the killing was intended as a warning. One campaigner said people were fearful but determined not to be silenced. The military government condemned the murder as particularly violent and promised a full investigation to identify the perpetrators and any backers, but critics remain sceptical about whether that inquiry will be transparent and impartial.
Balanta’s funeral in early April quickly turned into a demonstration against the junta. Hundreds gathered at Antula Cemetery in Bissau, chanting calls for justice and denouncing military rule. The Guinean diaspora staged solidarity protests abroad, including in Lisbon, demanding accountability and protection for activists at home.
Tensions have been exacerbated by moves that have curtailed media operations. The government ordered several private radio stations to close over unpaid licensing fees of 5 million CFA francs (roughly $9,000). Some outlets were allowed to resume broadcasting after talks with Prime Minister Braima Camar, but negotiations continue and the wider state of press freedom remains uncertain.
Residents report severe fuel shortages and long queues at service stations, though officials deny any systemic shortage. The prime minister has warned against spreading misinformation, and observers say some citizens reporting the lines and scarcity have faced intimidation, further heightening public unease.
The military leadership under General Horta N’Tam has said it plans to hold presidential and legislative elections in December and return the country to civilian rule. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of former President Embalo are unclear. Opposition figures and some analysts accuse him of orchestrating the coup to avoid losing power in an election; others suggest he may have initiated the move but now has less control over the junta than he expected.
Guinean economist and diplomat Carlos Lopes warned that post-coup dynamics can be unpredictable, noting that revolutions often consume their own backers, especially in contexts like Guinea-Bissau. For now, the killing of Vigario Luis Balanta has deepened mistrust and fear among activists and rights groups, while raising fresh questions about accountability, press freedom and the timetable for a return to civilian rule.