BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers have banned protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level visit by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc that is seeking to restore constitutional order following last week’s coup.
The military government, which seized power in what some West African leaders have termed a “sham” coup, announced late on Sunday that all demonstrations, strikes and activities regarded as threats to peace and stability were prohibited.
The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations.
The announcement followed protests in Bissau on Saturday, where hundreds, primarily youths, demanded the release of detained opposition leaders and the publication of presidential election results.
The mediation team from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) — comprising the presidents of Togo, Cape Verde and Senegal, along with the ECOWAS Commission president — was expected in Bissau on Monday.
The delegation aims to persuade the coup leaders to restore constitutional order and release the contested presidential election returns.
ECOWAS has warned it may impose sanctions on individuals or groups responsible for disrupting Guinea-Bissau’s electoral and democratic processes.
The interim president installed by military officers, Maj. Gen. Horta Inta-a, said the coup was necessary to ward off a plot by “narcotraffickers” to “capture Guinean democracy” and vowed to oversee a transition that would last one year, beginning immediately.
The coup reflects a continued pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau, a major cocaine transport hub with a long history of military interventions in politics.
Guinea-Bissau military rulers ban protests ahead of ECOWAS visit
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Guinea-Bissau military rulers ban protests ahead of ECOWAS visit
- The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations
- The coup reflects a continued pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau, a major cocaine transport hub
‘Solar sheep’ help rural Australia go green
- The panels have had another surprising side effect: Because the grass is shielded from the elements, it’s of more consistent quality
DUBBO: Australian farmer Tom Warren’s solar panels look like any other — until you spot the dozens of sheep grazing and napping, helping the country transition to green energy and earning him a decent income while doing it.
More than 30,000 solar panels are deployed across approximately 50 hectares at Warren’s farm on the outskirts of Dubbo, around 400 kilometers west of Sydney.
The farmer and landowner has been working with renewables firm Neoen for more than a decade and said he was initially worried the panels would restrict his sheep’s grazing.
It quickly became clear those fears were unfounded.
“Normally they would seek out trees and camp under the trees, but you can see that the sheep are seeking out the shade of the panels,” he told AFP at the farm in Dubbo.
“So, it’s a much better environment for them as well.”
The farm produces about 20 megawatts of power, he said — a “substantial amount” of the energy needs of the local area.
While he can’t disclose how much he earns from the panels, he said he’s taking in much more than he would from just farming.
“The solar farm income is greater than I would ever get off agriculture in this area — regardless of whether I have sheep running under the panels or not,” he said.
The panels have had another surprising side effect: Because the grass is shielded from the elements, it’s of more consistent quality.
That, in turn, has improved the wool produced by the sheep.
“The wool is actually better and cleaner,” Warren said.
“All over, we’ve had about a 15 percent increase in the gross revenue coming from the sheep running under the solar farm.”
Fellow farmer Tony Inder, based around 50 kilometers south in the town of Wellington, agrees.
His flock is much larger — 6,000 sheep grazing on two plots of land covering 4,000 hectares.
