Guinea-Bissau leader visit Guinea, meets transition president

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo arrived in Guinea’s capital Conakry on Wednesday, for a one-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

He was received by Guinea’s transition President Col. Mamadi Doumbouya at the airport, members of the National Rallying Committee for Development (CNRD) set up by the military junta, and members of the diplomatic missions accredited to Guinea.

The two heads of state held a one-on-one meeting at the airport's lounge before heading to the Mohamed Palace, where Doumbouya said he has no intension to hold on to power in Guinea after the transition period, said a Guinea presidency statement.

“I would like to reassure you that we have no intention of clinging to power. Our only mission is to reconcile our compatriots and unite them in order to build a foundation of the state of law respectful of democracy and good governance,” said Doumbouya.

He noted that the transition government requires regional and international support to succeed in its mission.

The junta unveiled a "Transition Charter" which outlines a series of tasks, including the drafting of a new constitution and the holding of elections, but does not define a time limit to the transitional period.

Embalo is the second president of the sub-region to visit the country for bilateral talks, after Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone on Oct.11.

On Sept. 5, the military, led by Doumbouya, overthrew President Alpha Conde.

Conde, 83, became Guinea's first democratically-elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

But last year, he pushed through constitutional changes that allowed him to run for a controversial third term in October 2020, which he won in an election dismissed as a sham by the opposition.