Page 610 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

610 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

altered. It should be emphasized the success obtained with the destruction of patrol boats
and the release of 26 Portuguese POW.
Following the operation, whose authorship the Portuguese government refused to
recognize, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting, at the request of the
Republic of Guinea, and an approved resolution demanded «immediate withdrawal of
all armed forces and of all foreign mercenaries» out of the Republic of Guinea. On De-
cember 8th, resolution 290 of the Security Council was adopted, explicitly condemning
Portugal for the invasion of Guinea and, for the first time, considering «the presence of
Portuguese colonialism in Africa a serious threat to peace and security of independent
African states». The resolution was adopted with 11 votes in favour; France, Spain,
Great Britain and the United States abstained.
The idea still remaining nowadays is that the action against Conakry was a “shot in
the dark”, far from the usual policy followed by the Portuguese government in develop-
ing friendly relations with the authorities and the populations of neighbouring countries,
though hardly ever with success. The execution of such an operation always raised many
questions, because if it had the success that their mentors and performers intended, that
could trigger an escalation of violence, always unfavourable to the Portuguese regime
and its colonial policy.