The Guinea-Bissau army has denied reports that it sent troops to neighbouring Guinea to support the government there as it faces unprecedented strikes and protests.

“It is unthinkable that the Guinea-Bissau armed forces could intervene in Guinea Conakry’s internal problem,” Lt. Col. Celestino de Carvalho, advisor to the army chief-of-staff, told journalists in Bissau on Tuesday.

On Monday, another Guinea-Bissau army officer, requesting anonymity, had told IRIN that 120 Guinea-Bissau fighters from a militia known as the Aguentas went to neighbouring Guinea on Sunday.

The Aguentas, which means "survivors" in Portuguese, are not officially part of the regular army so their movements are not well documented.

Guinea-Bissau army spokesman Lt. Col. Arsénio Alássana Baldé said on Tuesday that the reports about the Aguentas were “rumours and speculation designed to sow confusion and instability in Guinea-Bissau”. He also said Guinea has more troops than Guinea-Bissau and does not need its reinforcements.

The border between the two countries has been closed since 10 January, according to authorities in Guinea-Bissau. Witnesses and hospital sources say security forces in Guinea have killed at least 45 people in the past two weeks of strikes and protests aimed at forcing the resignation of President Lansana Conte.