PAIGC 70th Anniversary: Lisbon Event Amid Guinea-Bissau Crisis
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) marked its 70th anniversary on Thursday with a major commemorative event in Lisbon, even as the party faces a deepening political crisis and military suppression in its home country of Guinea-Bissau.
A Celebration in Exile
The central festivities took place at the historic Casa do Alentejo in the heart of Lisbon. The event brought together veteran liberation leaders, academics, and representatives from “friendly political forces,” including Cape Verde’s PAICV, Mozambique’s Frelimo, Angola’s MPLA, and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).
The keynote address was delivered by PAIGC President Domingos Simões Pereira. Pereira, a central figure in Guinea-Bissau’s democratic struggle, is currently in Portugal following his release from two separate stints in prison since a military coup gripped his country last November.
In a statement sent to Lusa, the organizing committee emphasized that the anniversary serves as a “link between the veterans of the liberation struggle, new generations, and the diaspora,” aimed at building a society of justice and progress.
A Movement Under Siege
While the mood in Lisbon was one of historical reflection, the situation on the ground in Bissau remains dire. The PAIGC leadership denounced what they described as a “particularly complex” and adverse political landscape characterized by institutional collapse, arbitrary arrests, and the persecution of political leaders.
The 70th-anniversary milestone is overshadowed by a directive from the Military High Command—the architects of the November 2025 coup—ordering the PAIGC and other political groups to vacate their headquarters. The military has mandated that all political offices must be located at least 500 meters away from state institutions, embassies, and barracks. This order directly threatens the PAIGC’s national headquarters, which sits just meters from the Presidential Palace in Bissau. The party has contested the order, maintaining that the building is private property.
Defiance Amid Democratic Erosion
The organizing committee praised Pereira’s resilience, calling him an “essential political reference” for democratic legality. The political climate in Guinea-Bissau has been volatile since the military coup on November 26, 2025—an event that took place just one day before legislative and presidential election results were to be published. The coup ousted Umaro Sissoco Embaló, only for him to return under a new framework that grants the head of state significantly expanded powers.
Opposition figures have dismissed the takeover as a “staged coup” designed to consolidate Sissoco Embaló’s power ahead of new elections scheduled by the military for December 6.
The Legacy of Amílcar Cabral
Founded on September 19, 1956, by visionary figures including Amílcar Cabral and Aristides Pereira, the PAIGC rose to prominence as one of the most significant liberation movements of the 20th century. It led one of Africa’s most successful anti-colonial struggles, eventually securing independence for both Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
Under the slogan “70 Years of Unity and Struggle: the nation recognizes, history confirms, and the future demands!” the party seeks to leverage its storied past to survive a present marked by military bans on civic and political activities.
Note: Coverage of these events was conducted remotely, as the Lusa Agency’s operations in Guinea-Bissau have been suspended since August 2025 following the government’s expulsion of Portuguese media representatives.
Image: Pexels – Paulo Oliveira
