Operation Green Sea: Difference between revisions
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| strength1 = 250 Portuguese <br> 250 Guinean opponents {{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} |
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| strength2 = unknown |
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| casualties1 = 1 Portuguese and 7 Guineans killed, at least 20 African-Portuguese troops defected to Guinea {{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} |
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| casualties2 = over 500 {{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} |
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Revision as of 21:46, 12 October 2010
| Portuguese invasion of Guinea, 1970 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Guinea-Bissau War of Independence | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Portuguese Military Guinean dissident forces |
Guinean People's Militia PAIGC | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alpoim Calvão António Spínola Rebordão de Brito |
Sekou Toure | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
250 Portuguese 250 Guinean opponents [citation needed] | unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 1 Portuguese and 7 Guineans killed, at least 20 African-Portuguese troops defected to Guinea [citation needed] | over 500 [citation needed] | ||||||||
The Portuguese invasion of Guinea in 1970 (known in Portuguese as Operação Mar Verde - Operation Green Sea) was a seaborne attack on the Conakry area of Guinea by 350 to 420 Portuguese soldiers and Portuguese-led Guinean fighters.[1] The goals of the operation included the overthrow of Ahmed Sékou Touré's regime, capture of the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (short: PAIGC) Amílcar Cabral, destruction of naval and air assets of the PAIGC, and the rescue of Portuguese POWs held in Conakry.
The attackers withdrew after rescuing the POWs and destroying some PAIGC ships but failed to capture Amílcar Cabral or to topple the regime of Ahmed Sékou Touré.
Background
In 1952, Ahmed Sékou Touré became the leader of the Guinean Democratic Party (PDG). In 1957, Guinea had an election in which the PDG won 56 of 60 seats. The PDG conducted a plebiscite in September 1958 by which Guineans overwhelmingly opted for immediate independence rather than for continued association with France. The French withdrew and, on 2 October 1958, Guinea proclaimed itself a sovereign and independent republic with Touré as its President.[2]
In 1960, Touré welcomed to Guinea and supported Amílcar Cabral and his organization, the PAIGC, which was seeking the independence of Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) and Cape Verde from Portugal.[3] In 1961, the PAIGC began the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence.[4]
Attack
On the night of 21-22 November 1970 about 200 armed Guineans—attired in uniforms similar to those of the Guinean Army and commanded by Portuguese officers—and 220 African-Portuguese and Portuguese soldiers landed at points around Conakry. The soldiers landed from four unmarked ships, including an LST and a cargo vessel, and destroyed 4 or 5 supply vessels of the PAIGC. Others landed near President Touré's summer house, which they burnt.[5] (Touré was in the Presidential Palace at the time.) Other soldiers captured two army posts, took control of the city's main power plant, captured the headquarters of the PAIGC (but not Amílcar Cabral), and freed 26 Portuguese POWs who were being held by the PAIGC. Guinean militia forces fought the raiders, and the raiders retreated. The raiders suffered only minor casualties.
Consequences
Internal purges in Guinea
Within a week of the invasion, Touré set up a ten-person committee: the Haut-Commandement (High Command). Staffed with loyal members of the Political Bureau, the High Command ran Guinea by decree. The High Command oversaw arrests, detentions without trial, and executions. The High Command's actions decimated the ranks of government and police officials. Notable among the victims were the President of the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea and the Minister of Finance Ousmane Baldé.[6] After a five-day trial, on 23 January 1971, the Supreme Revolutionary Tribunal ordered 29 executions (carried out three days later), 33 death sentences in absentia, 68 life sentences at hard labor, and 17 orders of confiscation of all property. The Portuguese-African troops who had defected to Guinea received life sentences at hard labor. 89 of those charged were released, but dissidents say some people "disappeared" into prison or were executed extra-judicially. Those sentenced to execution included members of the governing party (including the neighbourhood party chiefs in Conakry), Conakry's Chief of Police, a secretary to the President, an assistant minister of finance, and at least five Guinean soldiers. Those who had their property confiscated were either French or Lebanese. The fate of other Europeans who were arrested is unknown. Among those who received life sentences were former government Ministers, heads of state industries, a former regional governor, and the top two officials of the National Museum.[citation needed]
In July 1971, Touré purged the army of some of its officers. In April 1973, he purged his regime of some of its ministers.[7]
Political condemnation
On 8 December 1970, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 290, which condemned Portugal for the invasion of Guinea, and called upon Portugal to respect the principles of self-determination and independence with regard to Guinea.[8] On 11 December 1970, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) passed a resolution unanimously condemning the invasion.[9]
Nigeria and Algeria offered support to Guinea-Conakry and the Soviet Union sent war ships to the area (known by NATO as the West Africa Patrol) to prevent further military operations against Touré's regime and against the PAIGC bases in Guinea.[citation needed]
Recollections of Portuguese soldiers
- Template:Pt icon João Tunes. Guiné 63/74 - DCCXXXII: Onde é que vocês estavam em 22 de Novembro de 1970 ? Luís Graça & Camaradas da Guiné, 04 May 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- Template:Pt icon João Tunes. DA HORA DOS AVENTUREIROS, 2 May 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- Template:Pt icon Carlos Fortunato. Operação Mar Verde - 22/11/1970, Crónica de Carlos Fortunato, ex-furriel da CCaç. 13. 24/02/2003, revised 21/07/2006. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
See also
- Portuguese Colonial War
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 295: 3 August 1971 resolution regarding continued border incursions.
- António Spínola: Governor of Portuguese Guinea at the time.
- Gordian Knot Operation
Additional reading
- Template:Pt icon António Luís Marinho. Operação Mar Verde - um documento para a história. Lisbon: Temas e Debates, 2006. 8°. ISBN 972759817X
- Template:Pt icon 'Mar Verde': revelados documentos sobre operação militar ainda secreta. Manuel Carlos Freire. Diário de Notícias. 17 April 2006.
- "Guinea Reports Invasion From Sea by Portuguese; Lisbon Denies Charge U.N. Council Calls for End to Attack Guinea Reports an Invasion From Sea by Portuguese" by the Associated Press, The New York Times, November 23, 1970, Monday Page 1, 644 words.
- (German) Cord Eberspächer/Gerhard Wiechmann : Systemkonflikt in Afrika. Deutsch-deutsche Auseinandersetzungen im Kalten Krieg am Beispiel Guineas 1969-1972 (System conflict in Africa. German-German clashes in the Cold War by the example of Guinea 1969-1972) in : Zeitschrift des Forschungsverbundes SED-Staat, Nr. 23, Berlin 2008, ISBN 0948-9878, p. 30-41.
References
- ^ http://web.mit.edu/cascon/cases/case_gpg.html
- ^ http://www.historyofnations.net/africa/guinea.html
- ^ http://www.issafrica.org/index.php?link_id=14&slink_id=5280&link_type=12&slink_type=12&tmpl_id=3
- ^ http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13213487
- ^ "Guinea: Cloudy Days in Conakry". Time. 7 December 1970. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ O'Toole, Thomas; Baker, Janice E. (2005). "Historical Dictionary of Guinea". Volume 94 of African historical dictionaries, Scarecrow Press. p. 17. ISBN 0810846349.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ http://www.winne.com/guinea2/bf03.html
- ^ http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,UNSC,,GIN,3b00f20c30,0.html
- ^ Brecher, Michael (1997). A Study of Crisis. University of Michigan Press. p. 446. ISBN 0472108069.
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