Regional Peacekeeping Force – 2000

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The regional peacekeeping provision of the accord was partly implemented when the ECOWAS troops were withdrawn in the midst of the transitional period.

Regional Peacekeeping Force – 1999

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The ECOWAS Military Observer Group interposition force was deployed and by March of 1999, there were 600 ECOMOG interposition force troops in Guinea-Bissau. These ECOMOG troops were sent from Benin, the Gambia, the Niger and Togo1 The ECOMOG troops were expected to stay at least until the holding of post-conflict elections. However, immediately after the military coup that deposed President Vieira, the ECOWAS foreign ministers had an emergency meeting on 25 May. In the meeting, the foreign ministers agreed to withdraw all ECOMOG troops, notwithstanding requests from the national unity government of Guinea-Bissau to continue their mandate.2 The last ECOMOG troops were withdrawn on 7 June 1999. There were 712 ECOMOG troops drawn from Togo, The Gambia, Benin, and Niger before ECOWAS made the decision to withdraw its mission.3 Notwithstanding its initial success in maintaining peace, the withdrawal of ECOWAS troops subsequent to the 7 May military coup made the ECOWAS mandate obsolete.4

Regional Peacekeeping Force – 1998

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As fighting continued in Guinea-Bissau, the president called upon the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to intervene to restore order. In its 18th security meeting in Abidjan held on 3 July 1999, the ECOWAS foreign ministers made a decision to send the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) force if dialogue between the leaders from the military and the government failed.5 In the Abuja Peace Agreement, the deployment of the ECOWAS Military Observer Group interposition force was supposed to happen simultaneously with the withdrawal of foreign troops. In support of President Vieira, Senegal and Guinea had sent troops to Guinea-Bissau.6

After the Abuja Peace Accord, an ECOMOG evaluation team from Nigeria was sent to Guinea-Bissau to take over from Guinea and Senegalese troops, which were sent to support President Vieira.7 On November 19, the Nigerian Parliament approved the deployment of 500 Nigerian troops under the ECOMOG in Guinea-Bissau.8 In December, the United Nations approved the ECOWAS initiative of restoring peace in Guinea-Bissau.9 Between 26 December 1998 and 2 January 1999, there were 110 Togolese troops deployed in Guinea-Bissau as an ECOMOG interposition force.10