Spatializing Practices of Regional Organizations During Conflict Intervention: The Politics of Ecowas and the African Union by Jens Herpolsheimer

Author:Jens Herpolsheimer [Herpolsheimer, Jens]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: African, Political Science, World, Security (National & International)
ISBN: 9781000364217
Google: GeIXEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 55561471
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

ECOWAS and AU liaison offices in Guinea-Bissau

The ECOWAS Commission first decided to create a local representation in Bissau in response to military uprisings in October 2004, resulting in the killing of Army Chief of Staff General Veríssimo Correia Seabra (cf. UNSG 2004, para. 11). The office took up its work in January 2005 (cf. ECOWAS 2005, 157–8).13 During the following months, the UN Office in Guinea-Bissau provided logistical support for the setup of the ECOWAS office (cf. UNSG 2005, para. 15). In July 2005, the ECOWAS Executive Secretary appointed Colonel Hamed Sidibé (a Malian national) as his Special Representative to Guinea-Bissau.14 Sidibé and his office played an important role supporting the presidential elections in that year, and mediating in the post-electoral crisis, overcoming Malam Bacai Sanhá’s refusal to accept that he had lost the presidential run-off to João Bernardo (“Nino”) Vieira (Mendy and Lobban 2013, 130). ECOWAS actors subsequently decided to maintain the office due to continuing political instability in Guinea-Bissau, after President Vieira had dissolved the government and dismissed the prime minister in late October 2005. Therefore, they tasked the special representative to report regularly on the situation in the country (cf. ECOWAS Commission 2005, para. 251), to work with national stakeholders, as well as the AU, EU and other partners to stabilize Guinea-Bissau through post-conflict reconstruction and security sector reform (SSR) (ECOWAS Commission 2006, 346–7, 2007, 262–3).

Although very little information is available on the period between 2006 and 2010, the Office of the Special Representative of the ECOWAS Executive Secretary (since 2007 President of the ECOWAS Commission) seems to have discretely continued its work in Guinea-Bissau under the leadership of Sidibé (e.g., cf. ECOWAS Commission 2006, 346–7, 2007, 262–3, 2008a, 298, 2008b; ECOWAS CCDS 2010; UNIOGBIS 2009).15 In March 2011, ECOWAS heads of state approved a reinforcement of the Office of the SRPC, in anticipation of the deployment of a “security assistance team”, which the liaison office should coordinate, in collaboration with the CPLP (cf. ECOWAS Commission 2011).16 In early 2012, ECOWAS Commission President Ouédraogo appointed Ambassador Ansoumane Ceesay (from Gambia, previously SRPC to Liberia) as new SRPC to Guinea-Bissau. Since then, references to the SRPC and his office have increased, although still providing only very limited information about the activities of the ECOWAS liaison office and its top official in Guinea-Bissau (e.g., ECOWAS Commission 2013, 2014b, 2014d, 2016a, 2016b). This is also true for its response to the coup of April 2012. In August 2016, Blaise Diplo-Djomand assumed the position of SRPC (national of Côte d’Ivoire, former executive of the Central Bank of West African States).

During 2012 and following years, the SRPC and his staff largely played a supporting role, in particular reporting on developments ‘on the ground’ to the ECOWAS Commission, and providing logistical support for the different high-level field missions that visited Bissau in 2012. However, especially when compared with the AU’s engagement ‘on the ground’, the role of the ECOWAS liaison office and the SRPC has been secondary to efforts of regional chiefs of defense staff, foreign ministers and heads of state, as well as the ECOWAS Commission President.

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