Nsumba. Greetings. As many of you may know, I am the Founder and Coordinator of the Decade of Return Initiative in Guinea Bissau that succeeded in getting citizenship for thirty (30) Afrodescendants of Guinea Bissau origin in the past three years. I also serve as the Afrodescendant Theocratic Special Envoy Extraordinary and Reparations Expert and succeeded in getting the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to pass a resolution on our Right of Return – see https://www.balanta.org/news/achpr-resolution-653

Here is the most recent update I sent to the twenty applicants currently in process for citizenship in Guinea Bissau:

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Balanta Society <balantasociety@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 19, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Subject: Update on Your Citizenship

Nsumba. Greetings all,

If you are receiving this email, it is because you have an active naturalization application and I wish you to understand the status of the process at this time. There are twenty of you . . . .

As most of you know, Guinea Bissau held free and fair elections on November 23. At the end of that day, the votes were counted in public in front of observers and the results were tallied and sent to the respective regional commission for the next step of the process which culminates when the National Electoral Commission (CNE) announces the final results. The certified regional results showed that Dr. Fernando Dias won more than 53% of the votes and won 7 out of the 9 regions. Less than 24 hours before the CNE was to announce this, armed men appeared at the CNE, gunshots were fired, and the process was suspended. A “Military High Command” suspended the Constitution, captured and detained key figures in Fernando Dias’ National Campaign staff while taking control of the country through a “transitional government” through armed force creating chaos and fear throughout. The people of Guinea Bissau are completely against this yet repression keeps them in check. On December 9, I spoke about this in my address to the 9th Pan African Congress held in Lome, Togo. Joao Bernardo Vieira , one of the Presidential candidates who earlier asked me to be a part of his campaign team as a strategy consultant and who helped my wife get some documents needed for our civil marriage, was named as the new “Minister of Foreign Affairs” of the illegal Military High Command Transitional government. On the morning of December 11, Minister Vieira called me and politely reminded me, “as your brother, that the Constitution has been suspended and the military is in power. The High Command is not happy with your speech. Only the CNE can announce election results and you should not be in international forums saying that Fernando Diaz won the election. I want to be clear, your name is being discussed at the highest levels….” This, I understood, was a threat against my safety. for the next 48 hours plans were discussed about going into exile and not returning to Bissau. Nevertheless, my wife and I did return.

As a result, I have taken no action to move your files at this time. On the one hand, it is not propitius for your files to be handled and sent to a completely illegal Council of Ministers. On the other hand, if I did try to advance them now, they could use it as leverage or punishment against me. I don’t want to give them the opportunity of rejecting your naturalization applications because they want to control and punish me. The fact that my wife’s family is close to President Elect Fernando Dias makes us the opposition and therefore a threat and a target.

At this point, President Elect Fernando Dias and his supporters are working with the international community to force the CNE to announce the elections results which would lead to the inuaguration of Fernando Dias as President. When that happens, then we can advance your applications, and the administration, in my opinion, would want to approve them quickly in order to win positive commendations.

If however, the CNE does not announce the election results and Fernando Dias is NOT inaugurated as President, then your applications would be held indefinitely. On the basis of truth and principle, we can not be part of any legitimizing of the illegal High Command . . . .

I know this is not good news, but this is the reality of Africa and particularly Guinea Bissau. It is not easy being pioneers…..

—

Respectfully,

Brassa Mada aka Siphiwe Baleka,

Founder, Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA)

balanta.org

GUINEA BISSAU GRANTS CITIZENSHIP TO EIGHT MORE AFRODESCENDANTS — @

October 30, Bissau - The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Guinea Bissau granted citizenship to eight more Afrodescendants: six Balanta descendants - Anginette Richelle Browder, Arshaad Kiongozi Ujuzi Rahh, Raul Jose Garcia, Robin Delephine Adele Rue, Keith Byron … Continue reading