President Vaz of Guinea Bissau on Monday made a stopover in Liberia to discuss his country’s crisis with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Johnson Sirleaf is also chair of the Authority of ECOWAS heads of state and government In March this year, hundreds of protesters marched through the principal streets of the capitol of Guinea Bissau calling for the resignation of president Vaz. International media reported that the protesters carried red cards and blew whistles to symbolize that President Vaz was not playing by the rules.

According to media reporters, the protest was triggered by President Vaz’s decision in August 2015 to sack Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, a popular politician who enjoyed support from Western donors.

A few months ago, an MoU was signed between the government of Guinea Bissau and opposition parties in which they promised to commit themselves to dialogue, and at the end of the process conduct free and fair elections. Despite the MoU signing, there is still stagnation in the peace process in Guinea Bissau.

Briefing the press at the Spriggs Payne airport following a close-door meeting between the two presidents, Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe said President Sirleaf assured President Vaz that ECOWAS remains committed to ending the crisis in Guinea Bissau peacefully.

She also assured him that the Guinea Bissau crisis will be high on the agenda during ECOWAS’ next meeting in Monrovia in June this year

Source: APA