CRSV: Guinea Bissau

This case note documents the occurrence of sexual violence in violent conflict. It contains explicit mentions of different forms of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Background of the Conflict

The Guinea-Bissau Civil War was fought from June 7, 1998 to May 10, 1999, after a coup d’etat was attempted by Brigadier General Ansumane Mane, against the government led by President Joao Bernardo Vireira. The ensuing civil war was fought between government forces with the support of neighbouring states such as Senegal, and coup leaders who gained near-total control over the country’s armed forces. The year-long civil war began after the president was ousted, and ended with a truce policed by West African peacekeepers and a mediation process (Bercovitch & Fretter, 2004). The civil war resulted in the internal displacement of 300,000 people and the creation of over 13,000 refugees (BBC, 2007). 

Prevalence of Sexual Violence

Reports suggest that Senegalese troops and Guinea-Bissau forces committed sexual violence, targeting women in Guinea-Bissau. According to Amnesty International (1998, 1999a), sexual violence was deliberately deployed to target women at checkpoints and in troop barracks. The police were also found to have committed sexual violence (Amnesty International, 1999b, 2004).  

Basis of the Use of Sexual violence

Sexual violence was used deliberately as a tactic of intimidation and humiliation particularly to suppress the coup or to target those who were suspected to be in alignment with those who initiated the coup. Similarly, it was also used as a means of torture, especially when used in the barracks and by the police. Reports also suggest that sexual violence was used against children who were conscribed into the army (Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, 2004). 

References

1.       BBC News (2007) Country profile: Guinea-Bissau. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1043287.stm

2.       Bercovitch, J., & Fretter, J. (2004). Regional Guide to International Conflict and Management from 1945 to 2003. SAGE Publications.

3.       Amnesty International (1998) Guinea-Bissau: Human Rights under Fire.

4.       Amnesty International (1999a) Guinea-Bissau: Protecting Human Rights – A New Era?

5.       Amnesty International (1999b) Guinea-Bissau: Human Rights in War and Peace.

6.       Amnesty International (2004) Amnesty International Report: The State of the World’s Human Rights

7.       Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (2004) Child Soldiers Global Report 2004, 72.