Don't forget us, pleads Guinea Bissau

In his inauguration the acting presiden of Guinea Bissau, Rolando Pereira, has pleaded not to be forgotten by the international community. His swearing in complies with the constitution which states that in the event of the death or incapacity of the head of state, the president of the National Assembly must take over in a care-taker capacity until elections are held within 60 days.

The whole ceremony was bizarre. There were minutes of silence for former president Vieira, and also for the man whose death triggered Vieira's assassination, army chief General Tigme Na Wai. It sounds almost Shakespearean, if not like something from a Mafia film.

The political establishment in the country, to the extent it can be said to have such a thing, is obviously determined to try and move swiftly on and deal with the events of the past 72 hours as something like a bad dream.

But is that possible? The army chief is blown up. All the fingers of suspicion point towards the president, who is then murdered by the army chief's friends. That's not how things are usually done, at least not in modern states.

The attitude of the African Union is a little hypocritical. Because there has been no coup and the army have not seized power, no action apart from words of condemnation have been uttered. Unlike in Guinea which got suspended, even though the coup that took place last December was popular and was probably the best thing for the country.