The blood-soaked kitchen where Guinea-Bissau's president was brutally murdered is littered with broken glass, bullet casings and a rusted machete. No one has been arrested, and hardly anyone in this sleepy tropical capital seems to care.
The apathy surrounding the slaying of President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira in his own home-- as well as the bombing attack that killed his main rival hours earlier-- symbolizes just how far this drug-wracked state has fallen.
"What are we supposed to do, cry? Demand justice?" asked 41-year-old journalist Zique Choaib. "The powerful people at the top have been fighting each other for decades."
Less than 24 hours after the brutal slayings, market stalls were open, people were back in the streets and the city's dilapidated fleet of blue-and-white Mercedes taxis was again cruising the potholed roads.
During the last several years of his rule, Vieira governed from his own modest home on a crumbling downtown street frequented by mud-covered pigs. The presidential palace has been uninhabitable since its roof was blown apart in fighting a decade ago. Today, it lies neglected — much like this extraordinarily undeveloped nation.
20-year-old student Abenaque Camara still hasn't finished high school because of repeated teacher strikes. When asked about Vieira's fate, Camara asked: "Why should we care? We're more concerned with finding something to eat."
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