1980 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état
The 1980 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état was the bloodless military coup that took place in Guinea-Bissau on 14 November 1980, led by Prime Minister General João Bernardo Vieira. It led to the deposition of President Luís Cabral, who held the office since 1973, while the country's War of Independence was still ongoing. Furthermore, it resulted in the abandonment of the proposed unification of Guinea-Bissau with Cape Verde, a fellow Lusophone West African country. The Cape Verdean branch of the PAIGC party broke away and formed the new PAICV party in January 1981 under the leadership of Aristides Pereira, President of Cape Verde and former Secretary-General of the PAIGC.
General Vieira announced the creation of the Revolutionary Council, which would exercise all executive and legislative powers in the country. Eventually, a power struggle developed between Vieira and Victor Saúde Maria, Prime Minister and Vice President of the Revolutionary Council, the only civilian member of the body, with the latter being forced into exile in Portugal in March 1984. Two months later a new Constitution was promulgated, proclaiming Vieira as President and returning the country to civilian rule.
Vieira himself was deposed in the 1998–99 Civil War and exiled to Portugal in June 1999, but returned to the country in 2005 and was again elected to the presidency, and held the office until his assassination by a group of soldiers on 2 March 2009.
