By: Isatou Sarr
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló confirmed on Monday night (03.03.3) that he was the one who issued the expulsion order for the “high-level” mission of the ECOWAS that was in Bissau as part of resolving the political crisis in the country.
“I was the one who kicked out that ECOWAS mission. When ECOWAS, the United Nations or the African Union come [to the country normally], they present a roadmap and the President of the Republic approves the roadmap. And this country has rules, it’s not a republic of bananas,” he told reporters at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport on his return from overseas trip.
Embaló affirmed that the mission has no decision-making powers over him and guarantees that it will be the current Government’s initiative to organize legislative and presidential elections, on November 30 this year, thus rejecting a possible proposal for the formation of a “national unity” executive.
“Regarding the current matter, I said that “never again” the ECOWAS mission will return to the country,” he stressed.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló returns to ensure that what happened to his predecessor José Mário Vaz will not happen to him, alluding to the fact that in 2019, ECOWAS took “drastic measures” against the then Head of State, in a political moment almost similar to the one in the country now.
Considering that Sissoco Embaló is out of his constitutional mandate, the Inclusive Patriotic Alliance (API – Cabas Garandi) and Platforma da Inclusive Alliance (PAI-Terra Ranka) coalitions called him, this Sunday, Ex-President, in a joint statement, in which they criticized the expulsion of the ECOWAS mission from Bissau.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló left a warning to the two political forces.
“I just saw a statement [from API and PAI] they sent me. People have stepped on a red line, calling me the Former President of the Republic. Okay, I will behave like your former President of the Republic,” he warned.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló believes API-Cabas Garandi should not enter the dynamics of confronting him because “they are people who belong to me and know me well,” he said.
