ECOWAS Condemns Unrest in Guinea-Bissau, Calls for Peace

The Economic Community of West African States has sharply denounced the fight that broke out in Guinea-Bissau where the situation had returned to calm Saturday.

Two people were killed in fighting that broke out Thursday night in the capital Bissau between members of the national guard and the presidential guard’s special forces.

“Strongly condemning the violence and all attempts to disrupt the constitutional order and rule of law in Guinea-Bissau,” the ECOWAS said in a statement.

 “ECOWAS further calls for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the incident in accordance with the law.”

By mid-morning on Friday, after the news broke that the army had taken Colonel Victor Tchongo, the National Guard leader, into custody, calm had returned to the small, unstable nation.

Army and intelligence agents report that on Thursday night, members of the national guard broke into a police station and took Secretary of the Treasury Antonio Monteiro and Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi hostage.

The $10 million that had been taken out of state accounts was the subject of questions for the two government officials. The president had appointed state prosecutors, who had issued the warrants for their detention.

On the other hand, the PAIGC party, whose coalition won the June 2023 election, controls the Interior Ministry, which, like most ministries in the nation, is in charge of the national guard.

After being taken out of National Guard custody by the army, the two government officials were arrested once more.

In December 2019, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was elected to a five-year term. He is now in Dubai for the COP28 climate conference.

Guinea-Bissau has experienced several coups and coup attempts since separating from Portugal in 1974; the most recent attempt at overthrow occurred in February 2022 but was unsuccessful.

AFP