Accra, Oct 19, GNA – ECOWAS Chairman President John Agyekum Kufuor in consultation with the Chairman of the African Union President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, dispatched a fact-finding mission to Guinea Bissau on October 15 to review developments in that country.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry said the move followed the murder of General Verlssimo Seabre Correia, the Head of Guinea Bissau’s Army, by soldiers over unpaid salaries, The delegation, led by Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Olu Adenije, included Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Ghana’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Sidi Sannah, Gambia’s Foreign Minister, Mr Landing Savane, Senegalese Minister of State for Industry, Arts and Culture and Dr Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS.
The delegation held consultations with Guinea Bissau’s caretaker President Henrique Rosa, the current Head of Guinea Bissau’s Army, Major General Tagma Na Wale and representatives of Guinea Bissau’s civil society, religious bodies and political parties.
The statement said the “delegation unequivocally reaffirmed the determination of the African Union and ECOWAS in ensuring that peace and prosperity return to Guinea Bissau.
“In this regard, the leadership of the ECOWAS will be conferring with the World Bank and other donor agencies in December to raise funds to support Guinea Bissau’s economy.”
The statement said ECOWAS would be opening an office in the country to monitor its peace process and to further demonstrate the African Union and ECOWAS’s commitment to peace in Guinea Bissau. The delegation donated 500,000 dollars on behalf of the AU Chairman to Guinea Bissau’s interim government to settle unpaid salaries of the army.
The statement said the delegation expressed satisfaction with the outcome of consultations and impressed upon the authorities the need to consult the leadership of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) in the resolution of their grievances.
Source: GhanaWeb
