The failed coup was caused by the dismissal of the Brigadier-General from his position as Chief of Staff by President Vieira following alleged involvement in an arms smuggling scandal with a separatist group in Senegal, namely the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC).

[2] Supported by some three thousand Senegalese and Guinean troops,[4] government forces unsuccessfully tried retaking rebel-held territory, leading to heavy fighting.

[4] On November 1, a peace accord mediated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was signed in Abuja, Nigeria.

[5] Included in the treaty were a formal ceasefire, the withdrawal of foreign troops, and the formation on a National Unity Government (NUG) with elections planned for March of the following year.

In January 1999, hostilities resumed once again in the capital, displacing some two hundred and fifty thousand residents from the city.