A senior military mission deployed by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and led by the Head of the regional organization’s standby force, Brigadier General Usman Abdulmumuni Yusuf, arrived on Thursday in Bissau for a two-day visit during which it will meet with President José Mario Vaz, an official source told APA.
Made up of the Army Chiefs of Senegal, Cheikh Gueye, Abayomi Gabriel Olonishak of Nigeria, Ahmed Mohamed of Niger, and Felix Abalo Kadangha of Togo, the mission will also meet with Prime Minister Aristides Gomes and Defense and Interior Ministers.
According to a government source in Bissau, the ECOWAS military leaders will inform Guinean officials of the decisions made by the extraordinary summit of the heads of state and government of the Economic Community of West African States held on November 8 in Niger, on the political situation in Guinea-Bissau.
Among other measures, ECOWAS decided to beef its contingent up to 600 soldiers. However, such measure widely was criticized by the Guinea-Bissau political leaders who consider it a “foreign invasion.”
ECOWAS military leaders’ visit will be followed on Saturday by that of the presidents of Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria.
These leaders are expected to remind their embattled counterpart of the decisions of the Niamey Summit, which recommends the respect of the roadmap centered especially on the maintenance in his post of Prime Minister Aristide Gomes until after the holding of the November 24, 2019 presidential election. In case of refusal, the regional organization (ECOWAS) does not exclude the imposition of sanctions on Bissau.
José Mario Vaz, who has launched in campaign for his re-election, did not attend the Ecowas Summit in Niamey, Niger.
NM/odl/cat/fss/Dng/APA