Ceasefire Agreement in Guinea-Bissau

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Country/entity
Guinea-Bissau
Region
Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name
Ceasefire Agreement in Guinea-Bissau
Date
26 Aug 1998
Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement
Yes
Agreement/conflict level
Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Guinea-Bissau Civil War (1998 - 1999) )
Stage
Ceasefire/related
Conflict nature
Government
Peace process
Guinea Bissau peace process
Parties
Unsigned transcript of the agreement but parties are as follows:
For the Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (Signed)
For the self-proclaimed military junta (Signed)
Third parties
Unsigned transcript of the agreement but parties are as follows:
For the ECOWAS Group of Seven: (Signed) [Summary: the ECOWAS Group of Seven is comprised of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the following member states: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal.]

For the CPLP Contact Group (Signed) [Summary: the Ministerial Contact Group of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries is comprised of the following member states: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, (Guinea-Bissau), Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe].
Description
This agreement transforms the truce declared under the memorandum of understanding of 26 July 1998 into a ceasefire. The agreement lists the Annexes to the memorandum of understanding of 26 July 1998 as integral parts of this ceasefire agreement. Coding for these annexes has been done under the Memorandum of Understanding of 26/07/1998 and is not replicated here.

Agreement document
GW_980826_CeasefireAgreementGuineaBissau.pdf | 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
Groups→Refugees/displaced persons→Substantive
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
...(c) Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;
...(f) Creation of conditions which may facilitate the return of refugees and resettlement of displaced persons.
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)→General references
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
(a) Reaffirmation of the public recognition of democratic institutions and legality;
Elections
No specific mention.
Electoral commission
No specific mention.
Political parties reform
No specific mention.
Civil society
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
...(c) Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;
...(e) Strengthening of the opening of humanitarian corridors;
Traditional/religious leaders
No specific mention.
Public administration
No specific mention.
Constitution
No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing
No specific mention.
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
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
(a) Reaffirmation of the public recognition of democratic institutions and legality;
Detention procedures
No specific mention.
Media and communication
No specific mention.
Mobility/access
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
...(c) Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;
...(e) Strengthening of the opening of humanitarian corridors;
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
[Summary: Ceasefire commences on 26/08/1998. It's expected duration is unclear]

Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
(a) Reaffirmation of the public recognition of democratic institutions and legality;
(b) Freezing of their respective military positions held at the time of the entry into force of the Memorandum of Understanding of 26 July 1998;
(c) Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;
(d) Deployment of observation and interposition forces, to be defined through negotiations;
(e) Strengthening of the opening of humanitarian corridors;
(f) Creation of conditions which may facilitate the return of refugees and resettlement of displaced persons.

Page 1, Article 3: This Agreement will enter into force on 26 August 1998, at 2 a.m.
Police
No specific mention.
Armed forces
No specific mention.
DDR
No specific mention.
Intelligence services
No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces
No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces
No specific mention.
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
No specific mention.
Other international signatory
For the ECOWAS Group of Seven: (Signed)

For the CPLP Contact Group (Signed)
Referendum for agreement
No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar
Page 1, Article 1: The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:
...(c) Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;
(d) Deployment of observation and interposition forces, to be defined through negotiations;
Enforcement mechanism
No specific mention.
Related cases
No specific mention.
Source
UN Peacemaker: http://peacemaker.un.org/

Ceasefire agreement in Guinea-Bissau

Under the joint chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta met in Praia on 25 August 1998 and decided to transform the truce agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding signed at Bissau on 26 July 1998 into a ceasefire based on the following principles:

Article 1

The Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Self-denominated Military Junta agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the principles indicated below:

Reaffirmation of the public recognition of democratic institutions and legality;

Freezing of their respective military positions held at the time of the entry into force of the Memorandum of Understanding of 26 July 1998;

Reopening the Osvaldo Vieira Airport in order to facilitate the viability of humanitarian aid, the logistic support to the ceasefire observation mission and the return of refugees;

Deployment of observation and interposition forces, to be defined through negotiations;

Strengthening of the opening of humanitarian corridors;

Creation of conditions which may facilitate the return of refugees and resettlement of displaced persons.

Article 2

Annexes I and II to the Memorandum of Understanding dated 26 July 1998 are an integral part of this Agreement.

Article 3

This Agreement will enter into force on 26 August 1998, at 2 a.m.

DONE at Praia, 26 August 1998.

For the Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau:

(Signed)

For the Self-denominated Military Junta:

(Signed)

For the ECOWAS Group of Seven:

(Signed)

For the CPLP Contact Group:

(Signed)