Mohamed Lamine Sanha (died 6 January 2007) was a

Bissau-Guinean Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

Naval Chief of Staff. Sanha was implicated in several attempted coups against the government of Guinea-Bissau. Sanha was an ally of

Ansumane Mané Ansumane Mané (c. 1940 – 30 November 2000) was a Bissau-Guinean soldier who led a 1998 uprising against the government of President João Bernardo Vieira, which caused a brief, but bloody civil war. Mané participated in the independence w ...

, who led the military rebellion against President

Nino Vieira Nino or Niño may refer to: *Nino (name) *Niño (name) *Antonin Scalia, American Supreme Court justice whose nickname was "Nino" *El Niño, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean *NINO, an abbreviation for National Insurance number in the ...

in the 1998 civil war. Sanha was part of the military junta that ousted Vieira. Subsequently, as head of the navy, he released a

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n ship that had been held on 18 April 2000 for fishing in Guinea-Bissau's waters without permission; he said that he was prepared to face the consequences of this decision. On April 28, 2000 he was dismissed from his post as head of the navy by President

Kumba Yala Kumba is a metropolitan city in the Meme department, Southwest Region, Western Cameroon, referred as "K-town" in local slang. Kumba is the most developed and largest city in the Meme Department and has attracted people from the local villag ...

. He refused to leave his post, however,"Guinea-Bissau: Head of navy refuses to give up his post", ''Diario de Noticias'' web site (nl.newsbank.com), May 11, 2000."GUINEA-BISSAU: Tensions resolved, Prime Minister says"
IRIN, May 26, 2000. saying that only the armed forces chief of staff could dismiss him. Yala and Mané met to discuss the issue on May 23, and they decided that Sanha should leave the naval base he was occupying and wait for a court to rule on his case; Yala agreed to postpone the appointment of a replacement for Sanha indefinitely. Sanha accordingly left the base on May 26. When fighting broke out between the government and forces loyal to Mané in November 2000, leading to Mané's death, Sanha was arrested by the government"GUINEA-BISSAU: President warns would-be coup plotters"
IRIN, December 13, 2001."Guinea-Bissau: President appoints navy's new chief of staff", RDP Africa web site (nl.newsbank.com), February 2, 2001. and Quirino Spencer was appointed to replace him as naval chief of staff in early 2001. Sanha and former Army Deputy Chief of Staff Almane Alam Camará were accused of leading a coup attempt that was alleged to have occurred on December 3, 2001 and were arrested. After Tagme Na Wai became Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, he announced the reintegration of 65 senior officers into the military, including Sanha, on December 1, 2004; Na Wai appointed Sanha as his naval advisor. Accused of plotting to kill Na Wai"Protesters shot in Guinea-Bissau"
Al-Jazeera English, 7 January 2007. and attempt another coup, Sanha was briefly detained in August 2006."GUINEA-BISSAU: Former prime minister seeks refuge with UN"
IRIN, January 10, 2007. According to Sanha, he received death threats. On 4 January 2007, Sanha was shot outside his home in

Bissau Bissau () is the capital, and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. Bissau had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, and its administrative and m ...

by men said to have been wearing civilian clothing. He would die of his wounds on 6 January, sparking

riots A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...

. In a statement on 8 January, the government condemned Sanha's killing and vowed to capture those responsible, but former Prime Minister

Carlos Gomes Junior Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

, the President of

PAIGC The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...

, accused President Vieira of involvement in the murder; as a result, the government issued an arrest warrant for Gomes. Bissauan civilians in the Bairro Militar District, a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of the capital,

, rioted in protest against the killing. The police opened fire on the protesters, killing one man. Two suspects, Bubacar Seidi dit Imba Seidi and Dauda Tcham, were arrested. They have denied guilt."Juges et avocats bissau-guinéens craignent pour leur sécurité"
African Press Agency, May 24, 2008.

References

"Guinea-Bissau: Amnesty International concerned about arrests after alleged coup attempt"
Amnesty International, 11 December 2001
Controlarms.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanha, Mohamed Lamine Year of birth missing 2007 deaths Bissau-Guinean military personnel People murdered in Guinea-Bissau Bissau-Guinean murder victims Deaths by firearm in Guinea-Bissau Assassinated Bissau-Guinean people