UN Secretary-General António Guterres admitted the possibility of imposing sanctions on people who are disturbing the constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau and called for the creation of a group of experts to analyze the situation on the ground.
The recommendation is contained in a report by the UN Secretary-General requested in February by the Security Council on the sanctions applied to various elements of the Armed Forces involved in the 2012 coup and on the progress made in stabilizing the country and restoring order constitutional and to which Lusa had access today.
In the report, which analyzes events in the country since the presidential elections, António Guterres points out that during that period “there were challenges to the constitutional order with the existence of two prime ministers and, temporarily, two parallel governments”.
“All of these factors pose a risk for the stabilization of the constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau”, says António Guterres.
For the UN Secretary-General, “it is important” for the Security Council to consider the possibility of maintaining the established sanctions regime and “to show clearly to the people of Guinea-Bissau that the sanctions regime applies to all disturbing elements, regardless political and institutional affiliation ”.
In this sense, António Guterres asks the Security Council to consider the possibility of establishing a group of experts to “better understand the factors that have led the defense forces to become recently involved in the political process”.
The group of experts, according to António Guterres, should also indicate people who “meet the criteria for designating selective measures, including, monitoring the resources from organized crime used to support those who try to prevent the restoration of constitutional order”.
The group of experts should also help the Sanctions Committee to review the list and assess the capacity of the Guinean authorities to control drug trafficking and organized crime, taking into account its possible repercussions on the peace and stability of the country and sub-region.
