UN Strategic Assessment Mission visits Bafatá

10 Nov 2014

UN Strategic Assessment Mission visits Bafatá

10 November 2014 - A team of the UN Strategic Assessment Mission (SAM), in the country since last week, visited over the weekend the city of Bafatá, east, accompanied by the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General / Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Maria do Valle Ribeiro.

This visit to the birth city of Amilcar Cabral - the national hero - aimed to take stock of the performance of UNIOGBIS regional office and engage in direct contacts with administrative, defense and security authorities, but also civil society, religious and traditional leaders.

At the meeting with all parties, held at the UNIOGBIS' regional office, Governor Abdu Sambú made a brief presentation of the region, which he described as one where agricultural and pastoral activities hold a prominent place: "In this region, the number of cattle is higher than that of inhabitants - about 210 thousand", he said.

The other interlocutors in this meeting, including El-Hadje Iaia Embaló, executive secretary of the organization of farmers, Aladje Culabio Bá, Bafatá's highest Imam, and Luo Mussá Sidibé, king of Bafatá, expressed their joy at the presence of SAM, and demanded more attention and resources for the mechanization of agriculture, improvement of hospitals and schools.

Responding to these concerns, the Head of SAM, Christopher Coleman, recalled that access to health services and education are important messages to the international community: "We will make sure that these messages are transmitted to the United Nations Secretary-General through our reports, there will certainly be a discussion of all these issues with the members of the Security Council and this will influence decision-making by those members", he explained.

Later on, the Mission visited the birth house of the founder of Guinean and Cape Verdean nationalities, Amilcar Lopes Cabral, the detention center of Bafatá, the Regional Police Station, the Regional Court of Justice, the Center for Access to Justice and finally the Regional Hospital.

Led by Christopher Coleman, Deputy Director of the Africa II Division at the Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Strategic Assessment Mission is in Guinea-Bissau at the request of the UN Security Council, to conduct a comprehensive review of the mandate of UNIOGBIS.

Until 13 November, it will meet a wide range of interlocutors, nationals and internationals.