Key facts
- Guinea-Bissau's public prosecutor set up a commission to investigate the murder of rapper and activist Vigario Luis Balanta.
- The prosecution's office said the commission has 60 days to identify suspects, establish the crimes committed and present conclusions.
- Po' di Terra, the movement Balanta founded, said it welcomed the commission but called for a rigorous, transparent and independent investigation.
- Po' di Terra has accused the military-led government of protecting Balanta's killers.
- The government, which seized power in a coup in November 2025, has condemned the killing and said it could not comment further until investigations finished.
Guinea-Bissau's public prosecutor has set up a commission to investigate the murder of rapper and activist Vigario Luis Balanta, according to a statement from the prosecution's office on Monday, November 9, 2026. The move follows pressure from the opposition and media to hold those responsible for the killing to account.
The prosecution's office said the commission will have 60 days to identify suspects, establish the crimes committed and present its conclusions. Balanta was killed in March; Reuters previously reported that he feared for his life before his death, which drove the social and political movement he founded, Po' di Terra, underground.
Po' di Terra said on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that it welcomed the commission while calling for a rigorous, transparent and independent investigation. "This commission is a sign that popular pressure and the demand for truth could not be ignored," the movement said in a statement. "Po' de Terra will not watch this process with naivety or passivity. We are following closely."
Nado da Cunha, Po' di Terra's new leader, said the movement was determined to secure justice. "We demand that this commission not serve for political dividends or cabinet manoeuvres to clean the image of institutions," he wrote in a text message from Brazil, where he is based for security reasons.
Po' di Terra, which like Balanta has criticised Guinea-Bissau's cycle of coups and violence, has accused the military-led government of protecting his killers. The government, which seized power in a coup in November 2025, has previously condemned the killing and said it could not comment further until investigations finished.