West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Tuesday it was ready to impose targeted sanctions against those it deems responsible for blocking the implementation of a deal to resolve a political crisis in Guinea-Bissau.
The former Portuguese colony’s parliament has not sat in over a year amid a dispute between rival factions, including supporters of President Jose Mario Vaz and backers of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira.
The parties agreed to a deal following talks in Conakry, capital of neighboring Guinea, last year, but key aspects have not been respected and there has been little let-up in the tensions that have racked the coup-prone nation.
“In the absence of the implementation of the Conakry accords within a deadline of 30 days, ECOWAS will move onto sanctions measures,” the bloc said in a statement released at the end of a mission led by Liberia’s Foreign Minister Marjon Kamara.
It gave no further details about who might be targeted and what specific sanctions would be applied.
Under the Conakry agreement, Vaz was required to appoint a new prime minister acceptable to all the various factions who would then name a new, inclusive government.
However, Vaz’s opponents have rejected his choice of Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo as the new prime minister and Pereira’s supporters have boycotted his government.
The impasse has sparked regular protest marches and raised fears of instability that diplomats fear could be exploited by drug traffickers, who have long used the turbulent nation as a transit point for shipments between South America and Europe.
Latest Stories
-
Dr. Ayensu-Danquah defends professorship, stating 15 years of teaching surgery
16 minutes -
Access Bank honoured with two prestigious awards at 2025 HESS Awards
35 minutes -
Oti Region to get university within my tenure – Mahama reaffirms pledge
53 minutes -
Daughter killed in father’s arson attack over sex denial
2 hours -
NPA Scandal: Four suspects remain in custody after failing to meet bail conditions
3 hours -
NPP to open 2028 flagbearer nominations on July 29
4 hours -
Sam George to open Pan-African AI Summit 2025
4 hours -
NDC opens nominations for Akwatia parliamentary primaries on July 28
5 hours -
Guinness Ghana DJ Awards opened new doors for my career – DJ Pho
5 hours -
Mohammed Sukparu commits to advancing Ghana’s Artificial Intelligence agenda
6 hours -
‘What is coding?’ – Question raises eyebrows during Deputy Communication Minister-nominee’s hearing
6 hours -
WAFCON 2024: Ghana’s Black Queens claim third-place after penalty win over South Africa
6 hours -
Ghana celebrates 100-year-old WWII veteran Joseph Ashitey Hammond
7 hours -
Measures announced in Mid-Year Budget Review fully in line with programme objectives – IMF
7 hours -
This Saturday on Newsfile: AG drops charges in uniBank trial, Aud-General’s report, and Mid-Year Budget Review
7 hours