UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (UPI) -- Increased drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau is complicating a security crisis lingering since an April 12 coup, the U.N. Security Council said.
Military forces in mid April surrounded the home of Prime Minister Carlos Gomes in a coup just weeks before a runoff election. Gomes secured 49 percent of the vote during March presidential elections, which wasn't enough for a clear victory.
Members of the Security Council this week expressed concern of the lack of reform in the security sector and control over drug trafficking in the country.
"In this context, the members of the Security Council condemned the continuing interference of the military in politics and expressed their concern with reports of an increase in drug trafficking since the April 12 coup d'etat," the council stated.
In late December, the top navy commander in Guinea-Bissau, Rear Adm. Bubo Na Tchuto, was detained following what some authorities said was a coup attempt. The U.N. mission there said military officers attacked an army headquarters to steal weapons.
Since gaining independence from Portugal in the 1970s, none of the country's elected leaders has finished their term in office.
