Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba, the Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau, met the UN Security Council to brief them on the situation in the west African country. He was accompanied by the President of the Peace building Commission Configuration for Guinea-Bissau, Ambassador Maria Luiza Viotti.Members of the Security Council reiterated their demands for the full restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, calling on all political actors and civil society to engage in inclusive and nationally owned transition process, according to a statement issued yesterday by Columbia’s UN Ambassador, Néstor Osorio, the Security Council president for July.“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the importance of coordination of international efforts to address the crisis in Guinea-Bissau… to harmonize the respective positions of international and regional partners,” said the statement. The members also discussed the possibility of convening an international high-level meeting to address the country’s challenges.The meeting would bring together the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and the European Union in order to produce a comprehensive and integrated strategy for the full restoration of constitutional order and to address the peace building challenges in Guinea-Bissau, the statement added.Ambassador Mutaboba was appointed UN Special Envoy to Guinea-Bissau by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2009 to help with its defence and security reforms.Since independence from Portugal in 1974, the country’s army and state have remained in constant conflict. No president has ever completed a full term in office.The Security Council underlined the need to support Guinea-Bissau’s efforts to establish a clear timetable for the organization of free, fair and transparent presidential and legislative elections.They also called for concrete measures in key areas for long-term stability in Guinea-Bissau; including the reform of the security sector, the promotion and respect of rule of law, the creation of an enabling environment for the enhanced control over the security forces, the fight against impunity and drug-trafficking. The Council condemned the continuing interference of the military in politics and expressed their concern with reports of an increase in drug trafficking since the 12 April coup d’état, and reaffirmed their commitment to continue to follow closely the situation in Guinea-Bissau.International efforts to broker a return to constitutional rule in Guinea-Bissau have been blocked by military leaders, many of whom already face European and African Union sanctions.Guinea-Bissau has long been considered a key platform for the trafficking of cocaine and other narcotics from South America to Europe. Some reports have implicated top military officers in the trade.
