African Union expresses ‘concern’ over dissolution of Guinea-Bissau parliament

The African Union said Tuesday that it was concerned by President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s decision to dissolve parliament ahead of fresh elections in Guinea-Bissau after clashes erupted in the capital last week.

AU chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat “notes with concern the dissolution of the National Assembly” and “strongly condemns the recent violence in Guinea-Bissau, perpetrated by elements of the National Guard”, it said in a statement.

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“The chairperson calls on the government and all national stakeholders to prioritise dialogue in the furtherance of peace and to respect the Constitution to ensure the preservation of stability and unity of the country,” the statement said.

Embalo said Monday that an “attempted coup” plunged the West African nation into crisis after violence broke out between members of the national guard and special forces of the presidential guard, leaving two people dead.

But Embalo’s long-time rival and parliamentary speaker Domingos Simoes Pereira accused the president of carrying out a “constitutional coup d’etat”.

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Embalo said that Prime Minister Geraldo Joao Martins would remain in office but that he was taking over the defence and interior ministry portfolios following last week’s violence.

He said there had been “complicity” between the national guard and “certain political interests within the State apparatus”.

That meant “the normal functioning of the institutions of the Republic has become impossible”.

“These facts confirm the existence of a grave political crisis,” he added.

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Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of two million people has seen a series of coups and coup attempts.

Elected to a five-year term in December 2019, Embalo survived a bid to overthrow him in February 2022.

© Agence France-Presse