Event Summary
On the morning of 31 March 2026, the body of social activist and leader of the Revolutionary Movement “Pó de Terra,” Vigário Luís Balanta, was found dead. He had been brutally beaten to death, and his body was abandoned on the outskirts of the N’Dam Lero floodplain, in the Nhacra sector, about 30 km from the capital, Bissau.
The activist had been behind several demonstrations that took to the streets of Bissau following the coup d’état. Despite intimidation and repression, Vigário Luís Balanta consistently argued that the Guinean people should express their indignation and called for the confirmation and publication of the results of the November 2025 presidential elections.
On the same day, the country’s private radio stations were banned from operating, allegedly by the Ministry of Social Communication on the grounds of non-payment of operating license fees and failure to comply with notifications for regularization within the established deadlines. This measure was later revoked that same day by the Transitional Prime Minister after a meeting with the Forum of Private Media Organizations of Guinea-Bissau (FOCSP-GB).