18 May 2015 – SRSG Miguel Trovoada witnessed today in the Parliament the swearing-in ceremony of the 32 members of the Commission for the National Conference on Reconciliation, marking its official revival.

The ceremony was chaired by the Speaker of the National Popular Assembly (ANP, Portuguese acronym) ANP Speaker, Cipriano Cassamá.

The Commission is led by Father Domingos Fonseca. In his speech, he stressed that peace, as a precondition for the national development, is within reach but it will require everyone's efforts and no exclusions. “Truth seeking will be at the core of the work of the Commission”, he added.

“Truth will liberate us and justice will unite us.”, said the ANP Speaker in a an emotional speech.

“The country can transform its present if all Bissau-Guineans reconcile with their past to better prepare for the future” he explained. However, he stressed that truth seeking could not be turned into a witch-hunt but all must be able to speak out what happened to avoid its repetition. Only through truth we will remember the departed and other victims.

Cipriano Cassamá went on saying that the State is also to assume its guilt from the past. The country is to tackle the causes of violence and inequalities so all its citizens can enjoy a dignified living. He also advanced that political parties should bear in mind the possibility of providing an amnesty as one of the instruments that could lead to national reconciliation.

Following the inauguration of the new Parliament on 21 July 2014, Cipriano Cassamá had expressed his intention to resume the activities of the ANP Organizing Commission of the National Commission on Reconciliation created in 2008 that had been halted since January 2012, when President Malam Bacai Sanha passed away. The April 2012 coup further contributed to keep the Commission on hold until the restoration of constitutional order in 2014.

Since they took office, both President José Mário Vaz and Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira have expressed their commitment to walk the path of dialogue towards national reconciliation.

At an extraordinary session in September 2014, the members of the ANP passed a resolution to re-activate the Organizing Commission. In October 2014, UNIOGBIS supported the Commission to review the work accomplished before the suspension of its activities and its ready to continue supporting the reconciliation process.

The United Nations stands ready to support the dialogue and reconciliation process in Guinea-Bissau in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2203 of 2015.