Members of the ECOWAS Parliament have urged member states to extend the mandate of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Mission in Guinea Bissau, by six months.
They made the call at the end of the 2016 First Ordinary Session of the fourth legislature in Abuja, on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau was deployed in April 2014 to facilitate the process of transition, following a military intervention that truncated democracy.
The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff met in March 2016, to develop modalities for the withdrawal of the Mission.
However, members in a resolution on Saturday, expressed concern at the continuing political tensions in that country.
The members observed that such sudden withdrawal would “negate the progress that has been made since the return to normal constitutional order following the election in 2014”.
“After due deliberations, the ECOWAS Parliament requests the higher authorities in Guinea Bissau to maintain social cohesion, national dialogue and consensus imperative for economic and social development.
“The Parliament also appeals to the political class in Guinea Bissau to put the interest of the country above parity considerations.”
Members, in the resolution, further requested that the commission’s President should spare no efforts in mobilising additional resources to keep the mission “in place”.
The parliament also came up with a resolution on the political situation in the sub-region.
In that resolution, members condemned recent terrorist attacks in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali, and called for enhanced cooperation among member states to fight the scourge.
The Parliament requested member states to coordinate their actions to stop terrorist acts within the community.
The members mandated the Speaker of the parliament to communicate the resolutions to the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State. (NAN)