A high level delegation from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS ended its mediation mission to Guinea Bissau on Monday with no breakthrough, but pledged to continue talks with coup leaders later in December.
The mission, led by Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, travelled to Bissau to push for a return to civilian rule following last Wednesday’s military takeover.
The junta, which has banned protests and strikes, maintained it acted to restore security and stability in the country. Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba, speaking on behalf of Bio, said “We have had today very fruitful discussions.”
He added, “The chair of the authority condemned the coup, and calls for the immediate restoration of constitutional order, which includes allowing the electoral process to a logical conclusion.”
ECOWAS has condemned the coup and demanded the reinstatement of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who fled to Brazzaville after being detained. In his absence, the military installed former army chief Gen Horta Inta a as head of a transitional government that has already appointed a new cabinet made up largely of allies of the ousted president.
Guinea Bissau’s junta appointed Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira said ECOWAS would remain engaged. “The solution to returning to constitutional order is to continue collaborating with ECOWAS,” he said on Monday.
He added, “A one year deadline had been set for the end of the transition, but the issue will be submitted to the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government on December 14. Depending on this decision or the one that follows from it, we will know what the next steps will be.”
ECOWAS suspended Guinea Bissau from its decision making bodies the day after the coup, pending the restoration of civilian rule.
The United Nations has also condemned the takeover, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling for the unconditional release of all detained political actors and stressing that the will of the people expressed in the 23 November vote must be respected. The coup took place as the country awaited the results of the presidential election held last month.
Guinea Bissau has faced repeated coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
