Delegation of Chiefs of Defence Staff Conclude Fact Finding Visit to Guinea Bissau

3 June 2010
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Bissau - Guinea Bissau — A delegation of the committee of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff has concluded a fact-finding mission to Guinea Bissau during which they revisited the events of 1st April 2010 when renegade members of the armed forces detained the Prime Minister and the Chief of Defence Staff.

The Prime Minister was later released while the Chief of Defence Staff is still being detained. The visit also enabled the four-member delegation of Chiefs of Defence Staff to better understand the events of that day, which also saw the release from the UN compound, of a former Chief of the Navy who was cited in a failed coup.

The delegation of the Chiefs of Defence Staff of Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia and Togo was composed during the 27th meeting of the committee held in Cotonou between the 14th and 17th April 2010 with the mandate to 'interact with all stakeholders and determine the reasons for the behavior of the military on 1st April 2010. While in the country, the delegation which was led by the chief of defence staff for Liberia, met with the President, the Prime Minster, the speaker of parliament, the minister of foreign affairs, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff with the service chiefs.

They also met with the special representative of the UN Secretary General and other UN officials, the minister of defence and the special representative of the European Union, the ministers of interior, economy, planning and regional integration and representatives of the civil society. The report of the six-day mission will be presented to the 28th meeting of the Committee, which incidentally will be hosted by Guinea Bissau later in the year.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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