German Minister of State Pieper concerned about developments in Guinea-Bissau

BERLIN, Germany, April 16, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Minister of State Cornelia Pieper issued the following statement in Berlin today (13 April):

I condemn the military coup in Guinea-Bissau in the strongest possible terms.

The Federal Government regrets that this unconstitutional act of violence has put such a brutal end to the positive developments towards democracy in Guinea-Bissau.

In the eyes of the international election observers, the first round of voting in the presidential elections on 18 March passed off largely peacefully and freely. The holding of proper, orderly elections is a key prerequisite for the reforms needed in the country, particularly in the security sector.

The priorities now are to restore constitutional order as quickly as possible, to ensure the personal safety and liberty of the members of the constitutional government, especially of interim President Pereira and former Prime Minister Gomes, and to bring those responsible for the coup to account.

The Federal Government encourages ECOWAS and the African Union to take a decisive stance on the matter and supports all efforts designed to restore conditions of democracy.

Background information:

In the night of 12/13 April, a violent military coup in the capital, Bissau, ousted the constitutional government. Guns and grenades were used. The city is now dominated by the heavily-armed army rebels. The situation remains unclear and dangerous.

The Federal Foreign Office has issued a warning against travelling to Guinea-Bissau: