Guinea-Bissau European Parliament resolution of 13 June 2012 on the military coup in Guinea-Bissau (2012/2660(RSP))
Date: 2012-06-13
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Guinea-Bissau, conflict prevention, coup d'état, democratisation, human rights, international sanctions, presidential election








CE2013332EN.01004501.xml










15.11.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CE 332/45





Wednesday 13 June 2012Guinea-Bissau
P7_TA(2012)0247
European Parliament resolution of 13 June 2012 on the military coup in Guinea-Bissau (2012/2660(RSP))
2013/C 332 E/07

The European Parliament,






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having regard to the first round of the presidential elections of 18 March 2012 and the second round scheduled for 29 April 2012 in Guinea-Bissau,










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having regard to the statements of the United Nations (UN) Security Council of 31 March, 13 and 21 April and 8 May 2012 and its resolution 2048 of 18 May 2012,










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having regard to the statements by the President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of 6, 12 and 19 April 2012,










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having regard to the statements by the Vice-President / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) of 12 and 14 April 2012,










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having regard to statements by the UN Secretary General of 13 and 16 April 2012,










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having regard to the statement by the President of the European Commission of 13 April 2012,










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having regard to the statement by the Presidency of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) of 13 April 2012,










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having regard to the resolutions of the eighth and ninth Extraordinary Meetings of the Council of Ministers of the CPLP of 14 April and 5 May 2012,










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having regard to the statement by the Secretary General of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) of 16 April 2012,










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having regard to the decisions of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) of 17 and 24 April 2012,










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having regard to the decision of the Permanent Council of the OIF of 18 April 2012,










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having regard to the joint statement of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the World Bank Group (WBG) of 19 April 2012,










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having regard to the conclusions of the Council of the European Union of 23 April and 3 May 2012,










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having regard to the Final Communiqués of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government of 26 April and 3 May 2012,










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having regard to the diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions on Guinea-Bissau imposed by ECOWAS on 29 April and 31 May 2012,










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having regard to the special report of the UN Secretary-General of 30 April 2012,










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having regard to Council Regulation (EU) No 377/2012 of 3 May 2012 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies threatening the peace, security or stability of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and to Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 458/2012 of 31 May 2012 implementing Article 11(1) of Regulation (EU) No 377/2012,










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having regard to the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union of 18 May 2012,










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having regard to its resolutions of 12 March 2009 on Guinea-Bissau (1), 10 March 2010 on the Implementation of the European Security Strategy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) (2) and 11 May 2011 on the annual report from the Council to the European Parliament on the main aspects and basic choices of the Common Foreign and Security Policy in 2009 (3),










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having regard to the Cotonou Agreement, specifically to articles 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20 and 33,










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having regard to Rule 110(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas on 12 April 2012, members of the armed forces forcibly seized power in Guinea-Bissau and held both the interim President, Raimundo Pereira, and the Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Júnior;










B.


whereas this illegitimate action occurred the day before the beginning of the electoral campaign for the second round of the presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau;










C.


whereas the transparency of the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau, in which Prime Minister Gomes Júnior had obtained 48,7 % of the votes in the first round, has been nationally and internationally recognised;










D.


whereas the military coup was widely condemned by the international community;










E.


whereas, under the auspices of ECOWAS, the military leaders and certain opposition parties have agreed to the establishment of a Transitional National Council and a Transitional Government without the free consent of the country’s legitimate political institutions;










F.


whereas Guinea-Bissau’s decades of political instability have led the country into a deep political, governance and humanitarian crisis;










G.


whereas the military leadership of Guinea-Bissau has repeatedly and intolerably interfered in the country’s political life and these interferences have had an extremely negative impact on the processes of institutionalisation of democracy and the establishment of the rule of law, the safety of the population and the development of the economy;










H.


whereas the instability in Guinea-Bissau not only prevents an effective fight against drug trafficking but also poses a threat to the consolidation of peace in the country and to the stability of the West African region;










I.


whereas the European Union’s total allocation foreseen for Guinea-Bissau under the 10th European Development Fund (2008-2013) amounts to EUR 102,8 million;










J.


whereas Guinea-Bissau’s economy is one of the poorest and most dependent of all in the West African region and international aid accounts for 80 % of its national budget;










K.


whereas the current political situation in the country diverts attention from the needs of the population and from the growth of the humanitarian crisis therein;










L.


whereas the EU’s security sector reform (SSR) mission in Guinea-Bissau launched in June 2008 and conducted under the Common Security and Defence Policy considered on 30 September 2010 its mandate as completed and left the country;










1.


Condemns in the strongest terms the unconstitutional seizure of power by the armed forces of Guinea-Bissau on 12 April 2012;










2.


Takes note of the release of the interim President and the Prime Minister on 27 April 2012 and of the fact that they were forced to leave the country and demands that both be allowed freely to resume the full exercise of their civil and political rights;










3.


Demands absolute respect for the physical integrity of all public officials and other citizens being held by the military rebels and calls for their unconditional release and an end to violence, pillaging and intimidation;










4.


Condemns the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations calling for the restoration of the rule of law, in particular that which took place on 25 May 2012 in Bissau;










5.


Urges all those involved to immediately stop their violent and illegal actions and recalls the army’s pledge to abide by Guinea-Bissau’s constitution;










6.


Calls on the international community to exert all the necessary influence and to provide all the support required to ensure there is a thorough investigation of these unlawful actions and that those responsible are brought to justice;










7.


Rejects the establishment of the self-styled ‘Military Command’, ‘Transitional National Council’ and ‘Transitional Government’ stresses that it does not recognise self-appointed military and transitional institutions and urges the international community to act likewise;










8.


Recalls and subscribes to ECOWAS’s principle of zero tolerance for power obtained or maintained by unconstitutional and undemocratic means and considers that the transitional agreement in Guinea-Bissau blatantly contradicts this principle, violates the country’s constitution and legitimises the coup d’état;










9.


Demands the immediate reinstatement of the constitutional order and the rule of law and the conclusion of the electoral process, including the legislative elections, so as to enable the people of Guinea-Bissau to decide on their future by free and fair elections;










10.


Rejects any outside attempts to exploit the present situation and hence to undermine the sovereignty of Guinea-Bissau’s people and the territorial integrity and independence of Guinea-Bissau;










11.


Demands the full restoration and guarantee of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and the press, freedom of assembly and association and freedom of movement;










12.


Calls for the resolution of disputes by political and peaceful means within the framework of Guinea-Bissau’s legitimate institutions;










13.


Calls on the political parties to reach a consensus on a comprehensive reform process for the army, police, the security sector and the justice system as a first step towards political stability;










14.


Supports national and international efforts aiming to restore confidence among political actors, military and security forces and civil society in order to return the country to constitutional normality;










15.


Reiterates its firm conviction that there is a danger that Guinea-Bissau will remain militarily unstable and unable to cope with rampant corruption or change its status as a key drugs transit country as long as its institutions remain structurally weak;










16.


Underlines the importance of the establishment of a ‘Crisis Contact Group’ for Guinea-Bissau under the coordination of the UN, with representatives of the African Union (AU), ECOWAS and the CPLP, as referred to in the special report of the UN Secretary-General of 30 April 2012 on the situation in Guinea-Bissau, and calls for the EU to be involved in the Group;










17.


Supports the EU’s willingness to cooperate with West African states and its regional and international partners, including the UN, AU, CPLP and ECOWAS, with a view to establishing an effective partnership that can contribute to peacemaking and the long-term stabilisation of Guinea-Bissau;










18.


Welcomes the unfortunate but necessary diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions imposed on Guinea-Bissau by ECOWAS, the restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies threatening the peace, security or stability of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau adopted by the Council of the European Union and the travel ban against certain individuals imposed by the UN Security Council;










19.


Calls on continuous and close monitoring of the situation in Guinea-Bissau by all international partners and for these to be prepared to review the appropriateness of the measures adopted, including the need for them to be increased, while doing their utmost to avoid any negative effects on the population;










20.


Takes note of the decision by ECOWAS to deploy its standby force to secure the withdrawal of the Angolan Technical Military Assistance Mission (MISSANG) and of the arrival of its first contingent in Guinea-Bissau;










21.


Welcomes the CPLP’s proposal to constitute a stabilisation force for Guinea-Bissau within the UN framework and with a mandate defined by the UN Security Council, in conjunction with ECOWAS, the AU and the EU, taking into account the experience of MISSANG;










22.


Calls on the Council to provide advice and assistance in support of the urgent defence and security sectors reform in Guinea-Bissau and to consider effectively supporting the deployment of an international stabilisation operation within the framework of the CSDP;










23.


Encourages the EU, the UN, the AU, ECOWAS and the CPLP to jointly coordinate the various military forces of neighbouring countries that are already in place, including those of Angola, Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso;










24.


Calls on the EU to request the authorities of those countries providing military and security forces – all ACP partners – to ensure that they will not be used to support the illegitimate order sought by the authors of the coup and the self-styled transitional authorities or to perpetrate abuses of human rights against the people of Guinea-Bissau;










25.


Regrets the termination of the SSR mission in Guinea-Bissau in 2010;










26.


Invites the HR/VP and the Council to study the possibility of sending a new SSR mission to Guinea-Bissau, with a strengthened mandate to help reform the security and defence sectors, promote capacity-building, reform public administration and support the rule of law, as soon as the legitimate authorities recover the full exercise of governance in Guinea-Bissau and request such a mission;










27.


Urges once more the Council and the VP/HR to consider new ways to help the legitimate government of Guinea-Bissau to fight drug trafficking and organised crime, thereby preventing that country from becoming another failed narco-state;










28.


Recalls that drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau is channelled towards the European market and is linked with other criminal networks operating in the region, including those of terrorism in the Sahel and Nigeria in particular;










29.


Calls for the strengthening of EU and international commitment to building a democratic and stable Guinea-Bissau;










30.


Draws attention to the humanitarian situation in Guinea-Bissau, in particular that of internally-displaced people and refugees and to the risk of epidemics and the danger to food security and health care and asks the EU and the international community to promptly take concrete and adequate aid measures;










31.


Asks the Commission to continue its humanitarian aid and direct support to the population;










32.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretaries-General of the UN and ECOWAS, the AU institutions, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the CPLP Secretariat and the Government and Parliament of Guinea-Bissau.






(1)  OJ C 87 E, 1.4.2010, p. 178.

(2)  OJ C 349 E, 22.12.2010, p. 63.

(3)  Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0227.