The African Union (AU) on Tuesday urged the authorities of Guinea-Bissau to launch a full investigation into the assassination of President Joao Bernardo Vieira and his chief of general staff, Batista Tagme Na Waie.
The AU Peace and Security Council "calls on the national authorities of Guinea-Bissau, in cooperation with the AU, ECOWAS ( Economic Community of West African States) and other African institutions, to launch a full investigation into the president and the army chief of staff of Guinea-Bissau, in order to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice," said a communiqué issued after the 174th meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council.
It takes note of the statements by the armed forces of Guinea- Bissau of their intention "to uphold the provisions of the constitution of the country relating to the succession to the presidency," said the communiqué.
The AU Peace and Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to discuss measures in the aftermath of the assassination of Guinea-Bissau's top leaders.
The AU's statutes stipulated that member states should be suspended in the event of unconstitutional changes of government. However, at Tuesday's meeting, the pan-African body didn't decide to suspend Guinea-Bissau's membership, as were Mauritania and Guinea following coups last year.