Sanha was an ally of Ansumane Mané, who led the military rebellion against President Nino Vieira in the 1998 civil war.
Subsequently, as head of the navy, he released a South Korean ship that had been held on 18 April 2000 for fishing in Guinea-Bissau's waters without permission; he said that he was prepared to face the consequences of this decision.
[7] Sanha and former Army Deputy Chief of Staff Almane Alam Camará were accused of leading a coup attempt that was alleged to have occurred on December 3, 2001 and were arrested.
[8] Accused of plotting to kill Na Wai[9] and attempt another coup, Sanha was briefly detained in August 2006.
[9] In a statement on 8 January, the government condemned Sanha's killing and vowed to capture those responsible, but former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, the President of PAIGC, accused President Vieira of involvement in the murder; as a result, the government issued an arrest warrant for Gomes.