Sao Tome Government Overthrown in Coup - Agency

[smallprint]

just off the wire:

LISBON (Reuters) - The government of tiny African nation Sao Tome and Principe was toppled in a military coup at dawn on Wednesday, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

Lusa said that Prime Minister Maria das Neves had been arrested in the former Portuguese colony, along with other ministers including Public Works Minister Rafael Branco, who is responsible for the country's vital oil reserves.

snip

Portuguese state television RTP reporter Ricardo Mota said the situation was "calm" and military patrols were visible on the streets.

edited for link:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=1&u=/nm/20030716/wl_nm/saotome_coup_dc

oh boy if i'm not mistaken the bush admin has met repeatedly with sao tome in the last year or so regarding their HUGE DEPOSITS OF OIL

[greyl]

1. yup, they have.

These links are all from late 2002

Oil security

But the US is not just interested in finding oil suppliers. It wants to
ensure that those supplies are secure - not just from political
decisions but also from the threat of military attack.

Washington has been discussing with Sao Tome e Principe, the island
state off the west coast of Africa, the possibility of establishing a
naval base there.

President de Menezes of Sao Tome is to meet George Bush on Friday.

http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2002w38/msg00021.htm


STRATEGIC POSITION

Just as important could be the strategic position of Sao Tome, which prospered from the 16th to the 19th centuries as a staging post for shipping some of the millions of Africans sold into slavery on plantations in the Americas.

Sao Tome is about 190 miles off Africa and between the continent's oil giants Nigeria and Angola, as well as near smaller producers like Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo Republic and Cameroon.

The African Oil Policy Initiative Group, a lobbying group with close links to President Bush's administration, has suggested the possibility of establishing a U.S. military sub-command for the Gulf of Guinea.

www.congokin.com/news/categories/economy/archives/eco1130.shtml



Oil-Producing West Africa Catches Bush's Eye
17.09.2002 As Pres. Bush moves the U.S. closer to war with Iraq, he is taking steps to intensify relations with oil-producing countries in West Africa and considering constructing a U.S. naval base on the tiny island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, reports the Kenyan newspaper The East African.

http://africa.oneworld.net/article/country/678

[uhhuh]

2. Yep.Check this article for our "humanitarian" interest in Africa.

[smallprint]

3. more info

from another wire:

President Fradique de Menezes was reportedly out of the country.

The Portuguese ambassador in Sao Tome, Mario de Jesus Santos, told RDP that the city was calm.

"We are waiting for some clarification from the leaders (of the revolt) as to what they want," he said.

snip

International tenders for development of the oil reserves were recently opened, though the results of those bids are not yet known. They were reported to have drawn interest from major international oil companies.

edited for link (again):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/07/16/international0357EDT0456.DTL

[htuttle]

4. Hey, that's right next to Fernando Poo, isn't it?

This is definitely something to keep an eye on.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

5. Kick

DTH

[smallprint]

6. update

from reuters:
http://publicbroadcasting.net/wnyc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=522549

The United States, which buys crude from Africa's West Coast as a back-up to Middle Eastern supplies, said Wednesday it deplored the overthrow of the government, echoing condemnation from several African states.

snip

Pereira said he wanted to form a transitional government and combat poverty on the islands

snip

The career soldier is likely to face opposition from countries including former colonial power Portugal, which ruled for five centuries before Sao Tome's independence in 1975 and called the coup an "attempt to upset the constitutional order."

France, a key player in oil production in the region, also condemned the coup, which began before dawn Wednesday when residents awoke to the sound of gunshots. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Ghana also joined the chorus of criticism.

end

hmmm... if the usa and france are both against it, there must be something good happening... i wonder who is backing this coup?

any ideas?

[I AM SPARTACUS]

7. old, old script - Christopher Walken made the movie in 1981...

Frederick Forsyth wrote the book in 1974...



The Dogs of War:
<snip...>
Christopher Walken became a caricature of himself, when he was still considered a rising actor based on his Oscar® for The Deer Hunter, he made this graphic, exciting action film, about a group of professional mercenaries. Walken leads a band of soldiers of fortune, who are hired to overthrow a dictator in West Africa (think Idi Amin). But when their mission is compromised by political and monetary forces, Walken returns to the United States, disillusioned, battered, and not sure the high life of lawyers, guns, and money is really for him. Still, vengeance is sweet, as his partner, Tom Berenger, keeps whispering into his ear. A better film than it's generally given credit for, The Dogs of War features the kind of cool, detached performance Walken used to be capable of, before he began believing both the hype and ridicule about his over-the-top style.
<snip...more>
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005O06P/102-3711377-2828968?vi=glance