Agreement between the Government of Guinea Bissau and the Self-proclaimed military junta ('Abuja Accord')

Export agreement:

Export agreement coding (PDF)

Country/entity: Guinea-Bissau
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Agreement between the Government of Guinea Bissau and the Self-proclaimed military junta ('Abuja Accord')
Date: 1 Nov 1998
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Guinea-Bissau Civil War (1998 - 1999)
An attempted coup d'etat by Brigadier General Mane against the government of President Vieira in June 1998 led to a conflict that killed thousands as Vieira - backed by neighbouring states - attempted to re-take the country. A national unity government was established in an agreement signed in November 1998, but fighting continued until Vieira was deposed in May 1999. Only months before the coup attempt, Brig. Gen. Mane was suspended on grounds of a dereliction of duty following the discovery of a weapons cache and the arrest of several army officers on charges of arming Casamance insurgents in neighbouring Senegal. Following the deposal of Vieira, it was agreed that he would stand trial on the same charges. His deposal was condemned by ECOMOG, but ECOMOG troops were nonetheless withdrawn from Guinea-Bissau. The constitution was amended to limit presidential terms to a maximum of two and the death penalty was abolished. The opposition party won the parliamentary elections held in November 1999 by a large majority.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government
Peace process: Guinea Bissau peace process
Parties: (Signed) President, João Bernardo VIEIRA
for the Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau

(Signed) General Ansumane MANE
for the self-proclaimed military junta
Third parties: WITNESSED BY:

(Signed) His Excellency, General Abdulsalami ABUBAKAR
Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
for and on behalf of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS

(Signed) His Excellency, Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH
President of the Republic of the Gambia

(Signed) Honourable Koffi PANOU
Minister of Communications of the Togolese Republic
for and on behalf of the President of the Togolese Republic and the Chairman of ECOWAS

(Signed) H.E. Lansana KOUYATE
ECOWAS Executive Secretary

(Signed) Professor Ibrahima FALL
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs
for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations

(Signed) Ms. Adwoa COLEMAN
Organization of African Unity Representative
for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
Description: A short agreement between the government of Guinea-Bissau and the Military Junta. The agreement reaffirms the ceasefire and provides for the withdrawal of foreign forces, the deployment of an ECOWAS interposition force, the establishment of a government of national unity and a deadline for the holding of general and presidential elections.

Agreement document: GW_981101_AbujaAccord.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): Governance→Political institutions (new or reformed)→Temporary new institutions
Page 1, 4: To immediately put in place a government of national unity, which will include, among other things, representatives of the self-proclaimed junta, in line with the agreement already reached by the parties;
Elections: Page 1, 5: That general and presidential elections shall be held not later than the end of March 1999. These elections will be observed by ECOWAS, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the international community.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: Page 1, 3: That the interposition force will guarantee security along the Guinea- Bissau/Senegal border, keep the warring parties apart and guarantee free access to humanitarian organizations and agencies to reach the affected civilian population. In this regard, the Oswaldo Vieira international airport and the seaport shall be opened immediately;
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: Power sharing→Political power sharing→General
State level
Page 1, 4: To immediately put in place a government of national unity, which will include, among other things, representatives of the self-proclaimed junta, in line with the agreement already reached by the parties;
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: Page 1, 3: That the interposition force will guarantee security along the Guinea- Bissau/Senegal border, keep the warring parties apart and guarantee free access to humanitarian organizations and agencies to reach the affected civilian population. In this regard, the Oswaldo Vieira international airport and the seaport shall be opened immediately;
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1, 1: To reaffirm the ceasefire agreement signed in Praia on 26 August 1998;
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 1, 4: To immediately put in place a government of national unity, which will include, among other things, representatives of the self-proclaimed junta, in line with the agreement already reached by the parties;
Withdrawal of foreign forces: Page 1, 2: To the total withdrawal from Guinea-Bissau of all foreign troops. This withdrawal shall be done simultaneously with the deployment of an ECOWAS Military Observer Group interposition force, which will take over from the withdrawn forces;
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: WITNESSED BY:
...(Signed) Professor Ibrahima FALL
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs
for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Other international signatory: WITNESSED BY:

(Signed) His Excellency, General Abdulsalami ABUBAKAR
Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
for and on behalf of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS

(Signed) His Excellency, Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH
President of the Republic of the Gambia

(Signed) Honourable Koffi PANOU
Minister of Communications of the Togolese Republic
for and on behalf of the President of the Togolese Republic and the Chairman of ECOWAS

(Signed) H.E. Lansana KOUYATE
ECOWAS Executive Secretary

...(Signed) Ms. Adwoa COLEMAN
Organization of African Unity Representative
for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1, 2: To the total withdrawal from Guinea-Bissau of all foreign troops. This withdrawal shall be done simultaneously with the deployment of an ECOWAS Military Observer Group interposition force, which will take over from the withdrawn forces;

Page 1, 3: That the interposition force will guarantee security along the Guinea- Bissau/Senegal border, keep the warring parties apart and guarantee free access to humanitarian organizations and agencies to reach the affected civilian population. In this regard, the Oswaldo Vieira international airport and the seaport shall be opened immediately;

Page 1, 5: That general and presidential elections shall be held not later than the end of March 1999. These elections will be observed by ECOWAS, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the international community.
Enforcement mechanism: 2. ECOMOG interposition force to take over from withdrawn foreign troops, and 3. to guarantee security along border with Senegal; 5. elections to be observed by ECOWAS, Community of Portuguese-speaking countries, and the intl community
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: UN Peacemaker: http://peacemaker.un.org/

Agreement between the Government of Guinea-Bissau and the self-proclaimed military junta

The parties to the conflict in the Guinea-Bissau, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on 31 October and 1 November 1998 in the context of the efforts of the Twenty-first Summit of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),

HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS:

To reaffirm the ceasefire agreement signed in Praia on 26 August 1998;

To the total withdrawal from Guinea-Bissau of all foreign troops.

This withdrawal shall be done simultaneously with the deployment of an ECOWAS Military Observer Group interposition force, which will take over from the withdrawn forces;

That the interposition force will guarantee security along the Guinea- Bissau/Senegal border, keep the warring parties apart and guarantee free access to humanitarian organizations and agencies to reach the affected civilian population.

In this regard, the Oswaldo Vieira international airport and the seaport shall be opened immediately;

To immediately put in place a government of national unity, which will include, among other things, representatives of the self-proclaimed junta, in line with the agreement already reached by the parties;

That general and presidential elections shall be held not later than the end of March 1999.

These elections will be observed by ECOWAS, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the international community.

DONE AT ABUJA, THIS 1ST DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1998.

(Signed) President, João Bernardo VIEIRA

for the Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau

(Signed) General Ansumane MANE

for the self-proclaimed military junta

WITNESSED BY:

(Signed) His Excellency, General Abdulsalami ABUBAKAR

Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

for and on behalf of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS

(Signed) His Excellency, Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH

President of the Republic of the Gambia

(Signed) Honourable Koffi PANOU

Minister of Communications of the Togolese Republic

for and on behalf of the President of the Togolese Republic and the Chairman of ECOWAS

(Signed) H.E. Lansana KOUYATE

ECOWAS Executive Secretary

(Signed) Professor Ibrahima FALL

Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs

for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations

(Signed) Ms. Adwoa COLEMAN

Organization of African Unity Representative

for and on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)