“It’s not a robbery; it’s not a theft,” Trovoada said. “It’s an attack with weapons of war on the country’s armed forces and we have to solve this problem.”
“Certain individuals do not conform to the will of the ballot box and the will of the sovereign people, and thus tarnish the country,” he added.
The attack comes about two months after Sao Tome and Principe held parliamentary elections, which were won by Trovoada’s Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party. He was sworn in as prime minister earlier this month.
Neves, of the Democratic Convergence Party, has run for president twice and had contested the results of last year’s race.
The archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe is located near the equator about 350 kilometers (217 miles) off the western coast of Africa near Gabon. About 225,000 people live in the former Portuguese colony, according to World Bank statistics.
