Bissau mutiny unfortunate

Her Excellency Maria Ribeiro, the Guinea Bissau ambassador to the Gambia, is the latest to join the chorus of denunciations and condemnations of the Saturday’s aborted mutiny in the small former Portuguese colony in West Africa.

Ambassador Ribeiro described last Saturday’s attack on President Nino Vieira, which resulted to the death of two, as very unfortunate and disappointing.
The Guinea Bissau ambassador made these remarks Tuesday, during an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer, at her office located along Atlantic Road in Fajara.

The Guinea Bissau Ambassador plenipotentiary noted that the mutiny came barely a week after the peaceful historic legislative elections were held. Many observers thought, she outlined, that these elections were expected to not only herald a new era for Bissau but also to allow the country to enjoy lasting political stability. "I am disappointed because efforts to restore peace and unity in my country were threatened by Saturday’s mutiny," she told the Daily Observer, while noting that the situation on the ground was now under controlled.

Asked whether the incident would have some effect on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by members of 18 political parties in the Gambia, Ambassador Ribeiro stressed that the attack would in no way retard effort in the restoration of peace in Guinea Bissau. She further told the Daily Observer that the majority of Bissau Guinean political parties whose representatives converged in Banjul earlier to attend the Meeting initiated by President Jammeh strongly condemned the attacks, pointing out that public opinion also condemned vehemently the attack.

Ambassador Ribeiro went further to call on Bissau Guineans to nurture the peace, unity and stability that they have been yearning for, which she said would be hard to achieve if the country continues to face political set backs.

"What we need now is to put an end to all the confusions, all the disabilities, and get together as one in order to develop our nation. We need to learn from other countries in the sub-region and ensure that we register developments in areas such as energy, education, health, amongst others," she emphasized.

She concluded by saying that her country was in a position of achieving development if the human and natural resources are put together for the betterment of the populations.