ISS Policy Brief 44 The end of impunity 01Jul0925.indd

This policy brief analyzes the impact of April 2013 US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indictments against high-ranking Guinea-Bissau officials, arguing that while the move challenges a long-standing culture of impunity, it risks triggering further instability if not accompanied by a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the national criminal justice system.

• In April 2013, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) targeted two major cocaine kingpins in Guinea-Bissau: Rear Admiral José Américo Bubo Na Tchuto, former chief of the navy, and General António Indjai, head of the armed forces. Na Tchuto was arrested at sea and charged with drug trafficking and the purchase of AK47 assault rifles with grenade launchers and surface-to-air missiles for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The DEA alleges Na Tchuto negotiated to use cocaine to pay off government officials, including the president, for safe passage, with a reported fee of $1 million per 1,000 kg of cocaine.
• Guinea-Bissau has experienced a cycle of political instability, corruption, and crime for a decade, driven by cocaine trafficking with an estimated annual market value of $4.3 billion. This has resulted in a pattern of assassinations, coups, and counter-coups; since the turn of the millennium, three presidents have been overthrown and one assassinated, with no president completing a full term. The April 2012 coup was reportedly engineered by General Indjai, with control over drug trafficking as a motivating factor.
• The country's criminal justice system is severely weakened, characterized by institutionalized impunity for high-level drug lords. No major drug seizures were reported after 2008, and 674 kg of cocaine seized in 2006 disappeared from a Ministry of Finance safe deposit box. Recent trials have only targeted low-level mules from Bissau, Guinea Conakry, and Nigeria. Furthermore, since the April 2012 coup, high-ranking military officials have vetted all judicial and political appointments to maintain control over due process.
• The DEA's intervention has elicited mixed reactions within Guinea-Bissau. While educated residents in the capital generally support the action, they regret that the trial is held outside the country. In other regions, the reaction has been one of outrage and indignation, with the military feeling betrayed. There is a risk that removing kingpins like Na Tchuto and Indjai will destabilize a balance of power based on ethnic and clan lines—specifically involving the Balanta ethnicity and regions such as Cacine, Oio, and Catio—potentially leading to turf battles and increased violence.
• The authors recommend a phased international and regional strategy to prevent a return to instability. This includes using the DEA indictments to signal the end of impunity in West Africa, mainstreaming attention to criminal spoilers through ECOWAS and UNIOGBIS, and considering an internationally sponsored mechanism for criminal justice proceedings. They suggest models such as the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) or regional extra-territorial courts among ECOWAS member states.
• Long-term stability requires comprehensive investment in the national justice system beyond just high-level trafficking cases. The Guinea-Bissau League for Human Rights reported that only 11 of 26 small claims courts were functioning due to lack of judges, prosecutors, and rent payments. The authors argue that the state must be perceived as delivering justice services to all citizens to establish a true rule of law framework.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). ISS Policy Brief 44 The end of impunity 01Jul0925.indd. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief44.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. ISS Policy Brief 44 The end of impunity 01Jul0925.indd. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief44.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=ISS Policy Brief 44 The end of impunity 01Jul0925.indd |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief44.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndiss, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ISS Policy Brief 44 The end of impunity 01Jul0925.indd}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief44.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }