Audio By Carbonatix
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
-
Calls grow for NHIS to cover prescription glasses after over 500 miss free eye care in Bono Region
1 hour -
Nkwanta South: Death toll from Odomi attack now 4 as curfew takes effect
1 hour -
Impakers Creative Hub earns Trade Minister’s praise at Ghana–Italy Circular Economy Dialogue
1 hour -
Coderina EdTech donates STEM materials to support ICT, coding education in Ghana
1 hour -
Iran recloses Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes on Lebanon
1 hour -
Hackman Owusu-Agyeman backs St Augustine’s teachers’ housing project by APSU 2002 to mark 97th anniversry
2 hours -
GIPC CEO courts Canadian investors in Toronto
2 hours -
Harry and Meghan offered royal accommodation during UK visit
2 hours -
Ntim Fordjour demands answers over Australia drug seizure linked to Ghana
2 hours -
West Hills Mall to celebrate fatherhood with ‘Dad’s Day Out’ campaign
2 hours -
FIFA Ranking: Black Stars move eight places up after World Cup win over PanamaÂ
2 hours -
Google unveils biggest-ever Street View expansion in Ghana with sharper imagery and wider coverage
2 hours -
There is ‘zero chance’ Mahama will appoint a politically neutral EC deputy chairperson — Kofi Bentil
2 hours -
Sophia Akufo proved political appointees can remain impartial – Kofi Bentil
2 hours -
APSU 2002 launches GH¢5.4m teachers’ apartment project ahead of St Augustine’s 97th anniversary
3 hours