Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Guinea-Bissau

ECOWAS says 1,450 peacekeepers enough

Map of Guinea-Bissau
    ABIDJAN

    An offer by four West African states to jointly field 1,450 troops for a subregional interposition force in Guinea Bissau should be adequate to ensure peace in the recently troubled nation, ECOWAS Executive Secretary Lansana Kouyate told AFP yesterday.

    Speaking from ECOWAS headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Kouyate said 112 soldiers would be in place before the end of January to be joined soon after by another 600, AFP reported. The force is to be deployed under the Abuja accord and will replace Senegalese and Guinean troops who came to support Vieira’s government.

    Meanwhile, a Military Junta official in the Guinea Bissau capital, Bissau, told Lusa, the Portuguese news agency, that ECOWAS wanted a government of national unity to be installed before the end of the week. However, on Monday, Lusa quoted the Guinea Bissau prime minister-designate, Francisco Fadul, as saying neither he nor the transitional government would take office before all Guinean and Senegalese troops had left the country.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join