Guinea-Bissau's new ruling junta banned marches Tuesday and warned it would crack down on demonstrators as the African Union...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
suspended the country over last week's military coup.
The junta's threat of "severe repression" against any demonstration or march came amid growing international pressure on the leaders of the April 12 coup, after the AU levelled a threat of sanctions against the putschists.
The junta launched an "appeal to the whole population ... to refrain from organising any march or demonstration, whether for or against the overthrow of the government of Carlos Gomes Junior," it said in a statement.
"Those who disobey the order (face) severe repression," it added.
The ban followed rumours in the capital that young supporters of former prime minister Gomes were planning a protest Tuesday afternoon in the capital.
Earlier Tuesday, the AU suspended the coup-prone west African country with immediate effect.
AU Peace and Security Council chief Ramtane Lamamra urged the AU commission -- the bloc's executive body -- and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to consider imposing sanctions on the coup leaders.
"Given the frequency of coup d'etats in Guinea-Bissau, council requests the (AU) commission in consultation with ECOWAS ... to submit to it within two weeks a decision or proposals for additional sanctions against the perpetrators," he said.