Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, SENEGAL) – Senegal’s mediation mission in Guinea-Bissau has completed a day of consultations with the country’s political leaders, rival party factions and civil society representatives, with its findings now set to guide the next steps in the ECOWAS effort to resolve the political crisis.
The mission, led by Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang, met Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té and General Tomás Djassi, President of the Transition Council and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, before holding separate talks with representatives of the country’s main political groups.
The meetings brought together parties and factions with differing positions, including the PAIGC, MADEM-G15, the PRS, APU-PDGB and other political movements, as well as civil society representatives.
The mission has not announced an agreement or a roadmap for resolving the crisis. Its main achievement so far has been to hear the positions of the different sides and identify issues that will require further discussion.
Findings To Guide ECOWAS Decisions
In a statement published on Tuesday evening, Senegal’s Foreign Ministry said the consultations had provided an opportunity to assess Guinea-Bissau’s political and institutional situation, the transition process and the challenges standing in the way of a return to constitutional order.
The delegation also gathered the concerns and expectations of political and social actors regarding the role of ECOWAS and the wider international community.
The findings and proposals collected during the visit will be submitted to the relevant ECOWAS bodies to help determine the next steps in the mediation.
Senegal said the discussions were intended to identify areas of possible agreement while clarifying the issues that remain unresolved.
The Challenge Ahead
The next stage will be to turn those consultations into a political settlement acceptable to the key stakeholders. That will require more than bringing the different sides to the table; they will need to find common ground on how Guinea-Bissau can return to constitutional normality.
Senegal is leading the effort under an ECOWAS mandate, with Dakar currently holding the regional organisation’s rotating presidency. The mission has pledged to continue consultations, insisting that dialogue, impartiality and responsibility will guide its approach.
For now, there is no public indication of an agreed timetable or a concrete formula for resolving the crisis. The Senegalese mission has instead laid the groundwork for further negotiations, with the next decisions expected to come from ECOWAS after it reviews the delegation’s findings.
The success of the mediation will ultimately depend on whether the consultations can produce an agreement that the country’s divided political forces are prepared to accept and implement.
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