Francisco Fadul

Francisco José Fadul (born 15 December 1953) is a Guinea-Bissau politician who was Prime Minister from 3 December 1998 to 19 February 2000. He led the United Social Democratic Party (PUSD), one of the country's main political parties, from 2002 to 2006.

Fadul was appointed as Prime Minister, at the head of a national unity government, on 3 December 1998. He had previously been political adviser to General Ansumane Mané, who led the rebellion against President João Bernardo Vieira in the Guinea-Bissau Civil War; Fadul also represented Mane's junta on the Executive Joint Commission, which was established following the Abuja Peace Accord in November 1998. Shortly after he was named Prime Minister, Fadul, in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Expresso, accused President Vieira of murder, beatings, defamation, and humiliating leading political figures, and he called for Vieira to be tried for these alleged crimes. He also described Vieira as a dictator, claimed that Vieira was one of the world's richest men and that Vieira's wealth nearly matched the sum of Guinea-Bissau's foreign debt, and said that Vieira was primarily responsible for the development of animosity in the country. Fadul furthermore called for the return from exile of Luís Cabral, who was deposed by Vieira in 1980. Fadul said on 23 December that the primary focus of his government would be to deal with problems related to the military and to independence war veterans.

Fadul and his unity government, including five ministers and three secretaries of state chosen by Vieira and four ministers and four secretaries of state chosen by Mané's junta, were sworn in on 20 February 1999 in the presence of Vieira and Mané. In April 1999, speaking at the first meeting of the National People's Assembly since the war, Fadul prioritized facilitating the return of refugees to their homes and said that elections would take place as planned in late 1999. He went on a tour of four European nations later in the month, seeking aid. He arrived first in Portugal on 19 April, and while there he characterized Vieira's secret police as being worse than the Portuguese secret police under Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. Vieira's spokesman, Cipriano Cassamá, condemned Fadul's remarks as "purposely offensive, aggressive language".

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