U.S. Issues Statement on the Passing of President Malam Bacai Sanhá of Guinea-Bissau

January 10, 2012
U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesperson
Statement by Victoria Nuland, Spokesperson

The U.S. Department of State offers its condolences to the family of President Sanhá, and especially to the people of Guinea-Bissau, on his passing.
The United States remains a longstanding friend of the people of Guinea-Bissau, and we will continue to support their aspirations for peace, stability, and prosperity.
We are pleased that the government of Guinea-Bissau and its military recently worked well together in addressing an internal threat to democratic governance. We look forward to collaborating with the international community and working with Acting-President Pereira to arrange timely elections.

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Malam Bacai Sanhá (5 May 1947 – 9 January 2012) was a Guinea-Bissau politician who was President from 8 September 2009 to 9 January 2012. A member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Sanhá was President of the National People’s Assembly from 1994 to 1999 and then served as acting President of Guinea-Bissau from May 14, 1999 to February 17, 2000, following the ouster of President João Bernardo Vieira. Standing as the PAIGC candidate, he placed second in the 1999–2000 presidential election as well as the 2005 presidential election before winning the June–July 2009 presidential election.

Illness & Death
Sanhá was a diabetic. In early December 2009, Sanhá was due to visit Portugal but delayed the visit due to health problems. After fainting, he was taken to Dakar, Senegal and then Paris, France for medical treatment where he said that he was a diabetic and that he had suffered a drop in hemoglobin; although he insisted that his diabetes was “not as serious as people want to make out;” he added that he intended to be more attentive about his health. Sanhá spent ten days in Paris and subsequently stayed in the Canary Islands for a time before returning to Bissau on 30 December 2009. His chief of protocol stated that he had recovered and was in good condition. Since that time he spent regular intervals in hospitals in Dakar and Paris. Sanhá died on the morning of 9 January 2012 in Paris. His office issued a statement that read:

The presidency informs Guinea-Bissau and the international community, with pain and dismay, of the death of his excellency Malam Bacai Sanha this morning at the Val de Grace in Paris where he was undergoing treatment.The government issued a decree that it would observe seven days national mourning during which the flag will be flown at half-mast and all concerts and festivities would not occur. It also sought to repatriate Sanhá’s body for burial. Under the constitution an election is scheduled to be held within 90 days. In the interim the President of the National People’s Assembly Raimundo Pereira, from the same party, will be sworn in as the acting president.