Lt. COL. Marcelino da Mata photographed in full dress uniform (AI-treated Public Domain photograph).
Born into the Papel ethnic group in Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea Bissau), da Mata volunteered to serve in the Portuguese army in the early 1960s in place of his brother who had been conscripted.
He went on to fight in the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–1974) during which he participated in 2,412 military operations -mostly in Portuguese Guinea.
The most notable operations were:
. Operação Tridente (1963/64)
. Operação Mar Verde (1970)
Tridente was a combined operation aimed at eliminating the guerrilla presence from the Como Achipelago, while Mar Verde was the amphibious invasion of Guinea-Conakry.
He was a member of the Portuguese Commandos, an elite unit which specialised in counterinsurgency operations against the guerrillas of PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde / Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde) which was led by Amilcar Cabral.
The guerrilla campaign was successful despite Cabral's assassination in 1973.
Da Mata received the following medals:
. Cruz de Guerra (War Cross) for acts of bravery. He received five in all.
. Appointed to the Order of the Tower and Sword, Portugal’s highest military decoration for valour.
He remained in Portugal after the Carnation Revolution of 1974 and was detained for a period. He served from 1960-1990. He lived quietly in Portugal until his death in 2021 from complications related to COVID. He was 80 years of age.
Da Mata's funeral was attended by senior military officials and his death acknowledged by the Portuguese president.
©
Adeyinka Makinde (2026).
Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England.
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