The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has strongly condemned an outbreak of fighting on Friday in Guinea-Bissau.
Clashes between members of the National Guard and special forces of the Presidential Guard broke out Thursday night in the capital, Bissau, leaving two dead.
ECOWAS, in a statement, condemned the violence and all attempts to disrupt the constitutional order and rule of law in Guinea-Bissau.
The regional bloc called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the incident in accordance with the law.
Members of the National Guard stormed a police station Thursday evening to extract Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and Secretary of the Treasury Antonio Monteiro, according to army and intelligence officers.
The two government members were being questioned about the withdrawal of $10 million from state accounts.
The National Guard, on the other hand, is under the control of the Interior Ministry, which, like most ministries in the country, is dominated by the PAIGC party, whose coalition won the June 2023 elections.
The two government members were detained again after the army removed them from National Guard control.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who was elected to a five-year term in December 2019, is in Dubai to attend the COP28 climate conference.
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