Guinea-Bissau political crisis stops trucks laden with goods from entering Bissau

Ziguinchor, Senegal (PANA) - The tense political situation in Guinea-Bissau is beginning to have a negative impact on the country's economic activities as many merchants are beginning to hesitate to bring goods into the area.

Dozens of trucks loaded with goods from the Gambia to Bissau via southern Senegal are currently waiting at the Senegalese border post of Mpack, located about 20 kilometres south of the town of Ziguinchor.

The owners of these trucks say they fear losing their property if the situation turns violent in Bissau.

Therefore, they would prefer to wait until they see the political situation in the country before crossing the border. Among them, there is Amadou Mané who loaded goods worth nearly 15 million CFA francs into a tow truck. 

He prefers to be cautious, otherwise, he waits until he has reliable information before bringing his goods into Guinea-Bissau.

"I have been here for several days, I am afraid to enter Guinea-Bissau because of the deteriorating political climate there. The information coming from the capital is not at all reassuring, there is a fear of an escalation between the country's political actors. In my truck, there are goods worth around 15 million francs. In the event of violent events, I can lose all my possessions, which is why I prefer to be careful, to have all the guarantees of security before crossing the border," he confides, saying that he is even ready to turn back if necessary.

"I'm ready to turn back if necessary to avoid a bad surprise, but there's no question of taking a risk that could be fatal to me. You know, in Guinea-Bissau, in the event of unrest in the country, you will not benefit from any protection," he says.

In the same vein, Alassane Diallo states that there is no minimum guarantee in Guinea-Bissau in the event of a crisis. According to him, in case of a problem, the State becomes non-existent, so economic actors are very exposed. That's why he prefers to see more clearly before bringing in his freight trucks.

"You know in Guinea-Bissau, it only takes a small problem for anarchy to take hold all over the country. Under these conditions, you can come and loot the shops, the boutiques,... everything that is commercial. So, venturing to take goods into it with the current situation is very risky. Today, the country is on the verge of collapse, everywhere there are Ecomib (the ECOWAS regional force) soldiers in the country. There is a maximum alert," he notes.

According to Alassane Diallo, by the end of the presidential election,  scheduled for 24 November, anything can happen in Guinea-Bissau, because the tension in the country is too high.

Truck drivers are parked at the exit of the town of Ziguinchor on the road to Guinea Bissau. The owners say that it is useless to move to the border as they are not sure to continue their journey afterwards.

For the time being, there are no reports of a shortage of essential foodstuffs in the country, but such a possibility cannot be ruled out in the coming days, explains a source contacted in Bissau, as traders are importing fewer and fewer goods.

As a reminder, the current crisis in this small Portuguese-speaking country in West Africa follows the dissolution, by presidential decree, of the government led by Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, appointed after the legislative elections last March, won by his party,the PAIGC. Something that Aristides Gomes and his party rejected.

ECOWAS, which is wading into this crisis, has taken up the cause of Gomes and has summoned the President of the Republic, José Mario Vaz, to reconsider his decision. The institution had even given an ultimatum to new Prime Minister, Faustino Imbali, to resign, which was to expire last Friday.

Imbali was appointed to replace Aristides Gomes. 

In the coming days, ECOWAS is expected to send a mission composed of heads of state who will try to defuse the crisis.

-0- PANA MAD/IS/MTA/VAO 12Nov2019