Drugs, Crime Threaten Stability in Guinea-Bissau
New York, Nov 5 2009
The prospects for political stability in Guinea-Bissau appear to be good but are threatened by drug trafficking and organized crime, United Nations officials warned the Security Council today.
“Although there seems to be a downward trend in the
trafficking of cocaine through West Africa over the past few
months, drug trafficking and organized crime remain a
significant challenge for stability in Guinea-Bissau and the
sub-region,” said Joseph Mutaboba, Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon’s representative in the West African
nation.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), there has been a significant drop in drug seizures
in West Africa over the past 18 months, corroborated by a
similarly strong decline in European drug seizures with West
Africa as the suspected source.
However, as UNODC
Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the Council,
international efforts may have caused the trafficking routes
to move further south, or farther inland.
“The
threat to Guinea-Bissau – though less obvious than in the
past – is still serious,” he stated, noting that there
have been reports of smuggling through many privately-owned
islands of the Bissau archipelago.
“The Government
needs greater assistance to gain control over these islands,
which provide a safe haven for light aircraft and fast
boats,” said Mr. Costa. “I therefore urge this Council
not to be complacent.”
The Executive Director also
highlighted three new “disturbing” trends in the region.
The first is that a growing amount of the drugs coming into
West Africa are being consumed locally. “This is new,
though not surprising,” he said, noting that low prices
and high supply of cocaine, particularly in Guinea-Bissau,
cause havoc among youth who are already affected by other
problems.
In addition, there are reports of drug use
– as well as trafficking – affecting the military, and,
since July, UNODC and Interpol have been investigating
numerous West African sites where they found large amounts
of chemicals used in drug processing.
“West Africa
is now on the verge of becoming a source of drugs, not only
a transit area,” said Mr. Costa. “Organized crime is
growing indigenous roots.”
Mr. Mutaboba reported
that along with drug trafficking and organized crime,
stability in Guinea-Bissau is also threatened by
“hegemonic politics” and intra-party divisions. “Much
depends on the governing party’s ability to evolve away
from exclusionary politics and develop inclusiveness and
accountability.”
Presenting Mr. Ban’s latest
report on Guinea-Bissau, Mr. Mutaboba noted that the
Government has focused on managing the consequences of the
high-profile assassinations that took place in March and
June, and there is a perception that in other critical
areas, limited progress has been made.
In March then
president João Bernardo Vieira was assassinated amid
tensions between the Government and the military forces in a
country marked by decades of civil conflicts, coups
d’état and uprisings.
Then in June presidential
candidate Baciro Dabó and the former defence minister
Helder Proença were assassinated on the eve of the official
launch of the electoral campaign.
Despite the tensions
that followed the killings, the country held peaceful
elections and President Malam Bacai Sanhá was inaugurated
on 8 September.
Mr. Mutaboba, who heads the UN
Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS), stressed
the need for a “transparent and thorough” investigation
of the assassinations, as well as the alleged coup d’état
of June, to fight
impunity, restore public confidence and establish
truth.
Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of
Brazil, who chairs the Guinea-Bissau Configuration of the UN
Peacebuilding Commission, highlighted additional challenges
facing the country, including reform of the security sector,
and building State institutions that are able to address
basic social needs, ensure security and promote human
rights.
In a statement read out by Ambassador Thomas
Mayr-Harting of Austria, which holds the Council’s
rotating presidency for November, the 15-member body
reiterated the importance of consolidating democracy,
security, the rule of law, national reconciliation and the
fight against impunity to ensure sustainable peace in
Guinea-Bissau.
It took note of the ongoing
consultations between the UN, the African Union (AU), the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), to assist
the Government in investigating the political assassinations
of March and June.
“The Security Council calls upon
the Government of Guinea-Bissau to expedite this process,
and calls on the above mentioned organizations and the
international community as a whole, to bring their support
to this end.”
The Council also urged the Government
to take the necessary actions to, among other matters,
combat drug trafficking and organized crime, and to ensure
that the security sector is effective, professional and
accountable.
ENDS