Manuel Saturnino da Costa

Manuel Saturnino da Costa (29 November 1942 – 10 March 2021) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who served as Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 26 October 1994 to 6 June 1997.

== Biography ==

From 1977 he was in the Foreign Office, as the ambassador in Cuba and the USSR.

During the presidency of João Bernardo Vieira, who had come to power in 1980 through a coup, he became General Secretary of the PAIGC.

Following the victory of the PAIGC in the 1994 parliamentary election, Vieira appointed Saturnino da Costa, who was then Secretary-General of PAIGC, as Prime Minister on 25 October 1994. Da Costa formed a government on 18 November that was almost entirely composed of PAIGC members, although one post was given to the Bafata Movement.

Following the ouster of President Vieira in May 1999, da Costa was named acting President of PAIGC on 12 May 1999. Francisco Benante was elected to replace him as PAIGC President in September 1999.

After Kumba Ialá took office as President, da Costa was arrested, along with another former Prime Minister, Carlos Correia (who both preceded and succeeded him as Prime Minister), and four other former ministers, in February 2000. It was alleged that two government...