Security Council expresses financial support

Members of the UN Security Council on Friday appealed to the international community to give Guinea-Bissau's government financial and material support so that it can restructure its armed forces, Security Council President Ambassador Patricia Durrant said. They stressed that restructuring the military was crucial to the country's democratization process, and that it was important to implement a plan to demobilise some members of the armed forces. Council members welcomed efforts by the Economic Community of West African States to promote peace and security in Guinea-Bissau and the subregion, and commended Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN Peace-Building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) for their support to the country's post-conflict peace-building efforts, UN News reported. Following an 11-month army mutiny, Guinea-Bissau was ruled by a military-backed regime from May 1999 to February 2000, when an elected government took over, but relations between the civilian and military authorities continue to be tense.