WASHINGTON,
April 18, 2012 - The African Development Bank Group (ADB) and the World Bank
Group have joined the African Union and the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) in condemning the military coup in Guinea-Bissau.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the two bodies urged a speedy resolution of the crisis, and called for the restoration of constitutional government to preserve the development gains of the country and its people.
It noted that Guinea-Bissau has made notable economic progress over the last three years, strengthened its economic and democratic governance, and successfully organized the first round of early presidential elections after the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha last January.
The country, it said, was in the final stages of preparing the second round of presidential elections set for April 29.
“We are, therefore, suspending our development operations, with the exception of emergency assistance. We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the joint statement said.
