Hungarians deplete Guinea Bissau EUR reserves

A combative atmosphere emerged in Guinea Bissau, West Africa at the end of January between government officials and a group of Hungarians, the participants of the Budapest-Bamako marathon rally. The dispute concerned the sale of rally cars to the local government. The Hungarians protested angrily in Bissau, the capital, because the government of that country reversed its decision, made a day earlier, to buy the race cars from the Hungarians.

The Budapest-Bamako race, the largest amateur rally in the world – starting in Budapest, crossing the Sahara desert and ending in West Africa – ended in Bissau for the first time  since the race began in 2005. It has been a practice in this race that most of the participants are not willing to drive back to Budapest and sell their vehicles after crossing the finish line.

As the Hungarian news portal index.hu reported, 95 of the 150 entrants of the race arrived in Bissau where they were ceremoniously received – among others – by the deputy prime minister who promised them that the government would buy 30 race jeeps. At the same time, he barred Hungarians from talking to local dealers about the selected cars. However, the next day, the Guinea Bissau government announced it would not be able to buy the vehicles as promised since it did not have enough currency to do so.

As index.hu has learned, a jostle developed between the disappointed Hungarians and local government officials. Eventually, the government agreed to buy 17 vehicles – a purchase that reportedly exhausted the EUR reserves of Guinea Bissau.