Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

UN envoy urges quick elections in Guinea-Bissau

-

The UN envoy for Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday urged the Security Council to push the West African country to urgently hold elections to break a political deadlock.

Modibo Ibrahim Toure asked the council to offer its support "in underscoring the importance of urgently organizing and holding legislative elections within the constitutionally-mandated timeline."

Guinea-Bissau has been in the throes of a power struggle since August 2015, when President Jose Mario Vaz sacked then prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira.

The envoy urged world powers to support a peace mission set up by the West African ECOWAS group and ensure it stays in Guinea-Bissau until presidential elections are held in 2019.

The ECOMIB mission will require financial support for its continued deployment, he said.

Last week, the 15-nation ECOWAS slapped sanctions on 19 lawmakers and associates of the president in a sign of frustration over the failure to end the impasse.

Talks mediated by Guinean President Alpha Conde in October 2016 had led to a deal aimed at naming a new prime minister respected by all sides, with a view to organising legislative elections.

But little progress has been made towards the points laid out in the so-called Conakry Accord.

The UN envoy for Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday urged the Security Council to push the West African country to urgently hold elections to break a political deadlock.

Modibo Ibrahim Toure asked the council to offer its support “in underscoring the importance of urgently organizing and holding legislative elections within the constitutionally-mandated timeline.”

Guinea-Bissau has been in the throes of a power struggle since August 2015, when President Jose Mario Vaz sacked then prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira.

The envoy urged world powers to support a peace mission set up by the West African ECOWAS group and ensure it stays in Guinea-Bissau until presidential elections are held in 2019.

The ECOMIB mission will require financial support for its continued deployment, he said.

Last week, the 15-nation ECOWAS slapped sanctions on 19 lawmakers and associates of the president in a sign of frustration over the failure to end the impasse.

Talks mediated by Guinean President Alpha Conde in October 2016 had led to a deal aimed at naming a new prime minister respected by all sides, with a view to organising legislative elections.

But little progress has been made towards the points laid out in the so-called Conakry Accord.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

Don’t be too surprised to see betting agencies getting involved in questions like this: “Would you like to make billions on new tech?” is...

World

Schools in Souffelweyersheim locked down after an assailant lightly wounded two girls - Copyright IRANIAN STATE TV (IRIB)/AFP -A 14-year-old girl has died of...

Business

Image: - ©AFP Wakil KOHSARA group of advanced economies have pledged $11 billion in new funding commitments to boost the World Bank’s lending capacity...

Tech & Science

A growing wave of ‘firetech’ companies and related technologies – from drones to AI to robots – are being deployed across Canada. Is the...