Ban urges leaders in Guinea-Bissau to maintain rule of law

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the military and political leadership of Guinea-Bissau to resolve their differences peacefully and to maintain constitutional order and the rule of law, after military incidents in which the Prime Minister was briefly detained.

“He further underlines the need to avoid any risks to the gains made by Guinea-Bissau in its on-going peace consolidation efforts,” Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.

Members of the Security Council also voiced their concern over the situation in Guinea-Bissau. “The members stress the need for the parties to preserve the ongoing peace consolidation efforts and resolve their differences through dialogue,” the 15-member body said in a statement issued to the press.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Guinea Bissau, Joseph Mutaboba, is working closely with other international partners including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union to continue to support national efforts to promote sustainable stability in the country, the statement added.

The UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), which is headed by Mr. Mutaboba, has reaffirmed the need to respect constitutional order and the legally elected State institutions, which are essential conditions for peace, stability and the development of the country.

“The United Nations reaffirms its commitment to seeking a rapid, suitable and peaceful solution to today's events with the national and international actors,” the mission said in a statement.

Guinea-Bissau was rocked by upheaval in 2009 when a series of political assassinations threatened security and stability.

In his most recent report on Guinea-Bissau, the Secretary-General said that security sector reform remains the most crucial element to ensuring stability in the country.

The country is one of four currently on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission – along with Burundi, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic (CAR) – which was established in 2005 to help countries emerging from conflict make an irreversible transition from war to sustainable peace.