Several hundred people gathered in Bissau on Thursday to pay tribute to Vigario Luis Balanta, an activist known for his criticism of the ruling military junta.
His mutilated body, found Tuesday in the rice paddies of Ndam Lero (30 km from the capital), sparked a wave of outrage across the country. Demonstrators, gathered after Balanta's funeral, chanted "Justice!" to denounce a crime they attribute to the regime. "My brother Vigario wasn't sick. He didn't die in his bed; he was murdered because he fought for truth and justice for his people ," testified Ivanildo Gomes, a demonstrator. "They killed him like a thief and left him in the street. Vigario didn't deserve this."
Nielson Antonio Mache added: "Vigario was murdered, that's clear to everyone. Today, we are demonstrating peacefully to demand justice."
The protesters' anger manifested in barricades and the burning of tires and street furniture, blocking traffic. Police intervened with batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Binta Gomes Mane, a protester, expressed her outrage: "Vigario was a people's hero. He was killed like a dog. We cannot remain silent. We demand justice."
The United Nations described the murder as "brutal" and called on the authorities to conduct a "thorough and impartial investigation ." Balanta's death comes amid a "progressive erosion of civic and democratic space" in Guinea-Bissau.
