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Guinea-Bissau
PAIGC guerrilla liberation struggle defeated Portuguese military in rural zones, helping trigger 1974 Lisbon Carnation Revolution.
- Independence
- September 10, 1974
- Before
- Portuguese Guinea
- Metropole
- Portugal
- Leader
- Luís Cabral
- Transition
- Armed Insurgency
- Movement
- Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC)
“Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children.”
— Amílcar Cabral, 1965
From Pidjiguiti to Armed Struggle
Portugal claimed the Guinea coast from the fifteenth century, made it a colony separate from Cape Verde in 1879, and only subdued the interior in campaigns that lasted until 1936. The agronomist Amílcar Cabral and associates founded the PAIGC in Bissau, traditionally dated to 19 September 1956. On 3 August 1959 police fired on striking dockworkers at Pidjiguiti, killing dozens, which convinced the party that peaceful protest was futile.
Liberated Zones and the Weapon of Theory
The armed struggle began on 23 January 1963, with early attacks on Portuguese garrisons such as Tite. The PAIGC built liberated zones in the countryside, held elections there in 1972, and from the spring of 1973 used Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missiles to shoot down Portuguese aircraft, eroding Portugal's air superiority. Cabral's analyses, including 'The Weapon of Theory' (Havana, 1966), made him one of the most influential thinkers of African liberation.
Assassination, Declaration and Recognition
Cabral was assassinated in Conakry on 20 January 1973 by PAIGC dissidents, with Portuguese secret police involvement widely suspected. The PAIGC's People's National Assembly declared independence in the liberated zones on 24 September 1973, and the UN General Assembly condemned Portugal's occupation of the new republic that November. After the Carnation Revolution, the Algiers accord of 26 August 1974 led Portugal to recognise Guinea-Bissau on 10 September 1974.
Chronology
- September 19, 1956 — PAIGC founded in Bissau (traditional date)
- August 3, 1959 — Pidjiguiti massacre of striking dockworkers
- January 23, 1963 — Armed struggle begins
- January 20, 1973 — Amílcar Cabral assassinated in Conakry
- September 24, 1973 — Independence declared in the liberated zones; Luís Cabral head of state
- November 2, 1973 — UN General Assembly Resolution 3061 condemns Portugal's occupation of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
- August 26, 1974 — Algiers accord: Portugal agrees to recognise independence
- September 10, 1974 — Portugal formally recognises independence
Aftermath
Luís Cabral, Amílcar's brother, was the first president. Plans for union with Cape Verde collapsed after João Bernardo Vieira's coup of November 1980. The war in Guinea, which tied down some 30,000 or more Portuguese troops by its final years, was one of the pressures behind the April 1974 officers' coup in Lisbon.
Legacy
The PAIGC fought one of the most effective guerrilla campaigns in Africa and helped bring down Portugal's dictatorship and empire, while Cabral's writings shaped liberation movements worldwide. Independent Guinea-Bissau, however, has suffered repeated coups and severe poverty.