The President of Guinea-Bissau, Oumarou Sissoco-Embalo, has dismissed Prime Minister Geraldo Joao Martins and appointed Rui Duarte de Barros to the post, according to a presidential decree released on Wednesday.
De Barros, a former Prime Minister of the country's transitional government, from May 2012 to June 2014, is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC). He has served as president of the executive council of the National People's Assembly (Parliament) of Guinea-Bissau.
In early December, Guinea-Bissau's president announced the dissolution of parliament following the recent deadly clashes in the country's capital.
On the evening of November 30, soldiers of the Guinea-Bissau National Guard reportedly kidnapped the Minister of Economy and Finance, Suleiman Seidi, and the Secretary of State for the Treasury, Antonio Monteiro, who had been arrested earlier on charges of corruption and embezzlement of $10 million from the national treasury.
Skirmishes between the National Guard and army units continued on November 30 and December 1. The confrontation ended when the commander of the rebel security forces, Colonel Victor Tchongo, surrendered to the authorities.
The country's president later described the situation as a planned coup and announced the creation of a commission of inquiry. The president later announced the dissolution of the West African nation's parliament in the wake of the deadly events.
In June of this year, an opposition coalition led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won parliamentary elections in Guinea-Bissau, gaining a majority in the unicameral parliament.