The interior minister, Hadja Satú Camará Pinto, resigned in late December following a two-month-long dispute with the prime minister, Carlos Gomes Júnior. Ms Camará Pinto had been suspended in late October by Mr Gomes Júnior after having appointed and promoted a number of police officers. This was in violation of a decree by Mr Gomes Júnior prohibiting new appointments in the security services in order to avoid disrupting the reform process. However, Ms Camará Pinto had decided to ignore her suspension, claiming that she would await her formal removal by the president, Malam Bacai Sanhá, of whom she is known to be a long-standing political ally. In the meantime, the minister for territorial administration, Luís de Oliveira Sanca, was ostensibly in charge of both ministries (January 2011, The political scene). Mr Sanhá, however, was unable to defend Ms Camará Pinto owing to his poor health and prolonged hospitalisation in Dakar, Senegal. Ms Camará Pinto eventually decided to put an end to the dispute, noting in her resignation letter that her suspension was unconstitutional since it required the approval of the president. Dinis Kablon Na Fantchamna, the former head of the civilian office at the presidency, was immediately appointed as the new interior minister.