1988 São Tomé and Príncipe coup attempt

1988 São Tomé and Príncipe coup d'état attempt
Date	8 March 1988
Location	São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe
Result	Coup attempt suppressed
Belligerents
Government of São Tomé and Príncipe; Military of São Tomé and Príncipe;	Frente de Resistência Nacional de São Tomé and Príncipe - Renovada (FRNSTP-R)
Commanders and leaders
Manuel Pinto da Costa	Afonso dos Santos
Casualties and losses
1 wounded	3 dead

The 1988 São Tomé and Príncipe coup d'état attempt was a failed paramilitary operation undertaken by the exile National Resistance Front of São Tomé and Príncipe - Renewal (Portuguese: Frente de Resistência Nacional de São Tomé and Príncipe - Renovada FRNSTP-R) that sought to overthrow the ruling MLSTP government.

Launched on 8 March with the arrival of 44 mostly unarmed personnel on the island of São Tomé via small boats, the attempted coup was quickly suppressed, with three of the pustchists being killed and one policeman wounded. Afonso dos Santos, leader of the FRNSTP-R, who was captured during the attempt, was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to 22 years in prison in 1989, along with 38 co-defendants who received terms ranging from two to 21 years. However, following the end of single party rule in 1990, President Pinto da Costa granted an amnesty to those convicted.

The coup attempt has been described as an, "amazingly amateurish operation."

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