20100402
PRESS TV

After an apparent coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau, the country's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior says he will not resign his post.

The West African nation's premier, who was arrested by a group of soldiers on Thursday and freed after several hours, downplayed the army mutiny, adding that he would not resign.

"I will not resign because I was democratically elected. I consider what happened on Thursday as an incident," he told journalists after discussing the situation with the country's president, Malam Bacai Sanha.

Renegade soldiers threatened to kill Gomes on Thursday.

Despite Thursday's rebellion, which drew global condemnation from the United Nations and many other countries, Gomes said the situation in the country had stabilized.

"The situation is now stable. I can assure you that institutions will return to their normal functions," he stated.

The poor West African nation has fallen victim to a series of coups since declaring independence from Portugal in the 1970s.