Guinea-Bissau
Expected Council Action
In March the Council will receive the quarterly report by the Secretary-General on the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS).
The Council paid sustained attention to UNGOBIS during 2005 as a result of the passage of resolution 1580 in December 2004, which required quarterly reports and led to several briefings on and discussions of the situation. In December, the Council downgraded its involvement reflecting the improved situation, in particular the completion of the presidential election. Nevertheless, the Council will want to live up to its stated intention to “follow closely all developments”.
Key Facts
Guinea-Bissau has experienced frequent bouts of political violence since it won independence from Portugal in 1974.
After parliamentary elections in March 2004, violence flared up in October 2004, when a military mutiny resulted in the assassinations of two senior military officials. In July 2005, the country held a presidential election. João Bernardo Vieira won the election, defeating former president Malam Bacai Sanhá in a run-off.
Though the government transition was peaceful, the political situation has remained polarised. Sanhá rejected the results of the election, delaying the inauguration to 1 October. On 28 October Vieira dismissed the government of Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the party of Sanhá and Gomes and also the country’s largest party, has challenged the constitutionality of Vieira’s move. In January, the Court ruled in Vieira’s favour; the opposition criticised the ruling.
The UN’s peacebuilding effort in Guinea-Bissau, through UNOGBIS, has been in place since April 1999. In a 21 November 2005 letter to the Secretary-General, President Vieira requested that the UN extend the mandate until 31 December 2006 stressing that UNOGBIS had a decisive role to play in the consolidation of lasting peace and stability.
Council Dynamics
Largely due to its ties to Guinea-Bissau through the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and its concern about the ongoing instability, Brazil played a leadership role in the Council in 2004 in seeking to upgrade the level of Council’s engagement with that situation. In December 2004 the Council was persuaded to take the unusual step of bringing UNOGBIS under a Council mandate. However, a number of Council members were unhappy with this outcome. Furthermore, even though the mandate of UNOGBIS came nominally from the Council, its funding was never shifted to the peacekeeping budget and all along has been provided instead from the special political missions’ part of the regular budget.
Although the situation has improved somewhat following the presidential election, there is still significant tension. African members of the Council, which have been eager to keep the issue on the Council’s agenda, have requested that the Secretariat continue to submit the quarterly reports. They are likely to ensure that it is on the Programme of Work for March.
Options
Should the situation in Guinea-Bissau deteriorate, the Council would be likely to come under pressure to reassert its role.
Council members may wish to urge the Secretary-General to upgrade the rank of his representative on the ground to Special Representative emphasising the need for synergies and complementarities with UN agencies, in particular UNDP, as well as with the African Union, ECOWAS and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.
Underlying Problems
The economic situation in Guinea-Bissau has been precarious, with the government having difficulty in paying salaries to government workers, schools being closed for months at a time and rising crime levels.
Security Council Resolutions |
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Selected Reports and Letters of the Secretary-General |
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Selected Presidential Statements |
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Selected Council Press Statements and Letters |
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26 January 2006 |
The Supreme Court of Justice ruled in favour of President João Bernardo Vieira’s dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior. |
14 December 2005 |
The Council president announced the renewal of the UNOGBIS mandate up to the end of 2006. |
21 November 2005 |
In a letter to the Secretary-General, President Vieira requested the extension of the mandate of UNOGBIS. |
28 October 2005 |
Vieira dismissed the prime minister and the cabinet. |
1 October 2005 |
Vieira was sworn in as president for a second time. |
24 July 2005 |
Vieira won the presidential election run-off. |
22 December 2004 |
The Security Council passed resolution 1580, extending the mandate of UNOGBIS to 22 December 2005. |
6 October 2004 |
A military mutiny resulted in the assassinations of the Armed Forces’ chief of the general staff and its spokesman. |
March 2004 |
The ruling party, PAIGC, won the legislative elections. |
28 September 2003 |
The military and political parties signed the Transitional Charter, creating a transitional prime minister, president and council. Interim President Henrique Rosa and Interim Prime Minister António Artur Sanhá were sworn in. |
14 September 2003 |
The military ousted President Kumba Lalá in a coup. |
November 2002 |
Lalá dissolved the National Assembly. |
November 2000 |
General Ansumane Mané was killed during a shootout with government forces, who claimed that he was attempting a coup. |
17 February 2000 |
Lalá was sworn in as president. |
January 2000 |
Lalá won the presidential election. |
14 May 1999 |
Malam Bacai Sanhá became interim president. |
6-7 May 1999 |
General Mané led a coup that ousted President Vieira. |
6 April 1999 |
The Council passed resolution 1233, supporting the Secretary-General’s proposal to establish UNOGBIS. |
3 April 1999 |
The Secretary-General proposed the establishment of UNOGBIS. |
24 February 1999 |
The Government of National Unity, which included both government officials and military leaders, assumed power. |
21 December 1998 |
The Council passed resolution 1216, requesting that the Secretary-General make recommendations on a possible UN role in Guinea-Bissau’s peace process. |
1 November 1998 |
Government officials and the military junta signed a peace agreement in Abuja. |
7 June 1998 |
Violence broke out after Vieira dismissed General Mané. |
1994 |
Vieira won the first free presidential election in the country’s history. |
1980 |
Vieira led a military coup that ousted Luís Cabral, the country’s first president. |
10 September 1974 |
Guinea-Bissau won independence from Portugal. Cabral assumed the presidency as the leader of the PAIGC. |
1973 |
The PAIGC declared independence. |
1963 |
The PAIGC launched a war to gain independence from Portugal. |
Representative of the Secretary-General for Guinea-Bissau, Head of UNOGBIS |
João Bernardo Honwana (Mozambique) |
Size of UNOGBIS Staff |
27, including 11 international civilians, two military advisers, one police adviser and 13 local civilians |
Cost |
$3.359 million (estimated) |
Duration |
6 April 1999 to present |