Guinea-Bissau “is not a country involved in human trafficking,” emphasized Guinean President Umaro Sissoko Embalo this Thursday in Lisbon, reacting to the US decision to impose sanctions on his country for failures in the fight against human trafficking.
“In Guinea-Bissau we are not human traffickers. And Guinea-Bissau has never been involved in human trafficking. I have already given instructions to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. [guineense Carlos Pinto Pereira]. There will be a certain reaction from the state of Guinea-Bissau,” said Sissoko Embalo, speaking at a press conference in Lisbon.
US sanctions on Guinea-Bissau, which also cover Equatorial Guinea and China’s Macau Special Administrative Region, announced on Wednesday, cover “non-humanitarian and non-trade assistance.”
“Because we condemn it. In fact, the United States does not and cannot consider Guinea-Bissau a failed state. And we can also characterize the United States as an aggressor state. To me it’s disrespectful. unacceptable. There are no small states, there are states, and we must treat them on the basis of mutual respect. But why should the United States impose sanctions on Guinea-Bissau? Guinea-Bissau may also impose sanctions on the United States,” he added.
Asked to explain how the Guinean state could impose sanctions on the United States, Sissoko Embalo simply replied: “We are a state. This is also a measure that we can take,” without going into detail.
“Our relations with any other state must be based on mutual respect. The United States cannot impose sanctions on Guinea-Bissau because we are not a failed state,” he stressed.
“This is unacceptable, unacceptable,” he concluded.
In announcing the decision to impose sanctions on Guinea-Bissau, the United States believes that reservations exist as long as they benefit anti-trafficking or U.S. national interests, identifying exceptions in programs ranging from military training and preparation, peacekeeping, development assistance and promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Guinea-Bissau, Macau and Equatorial Guinea are on the US blacklist of countries that do not have sufficient anti-trafficking measures, placing them at level three, with level four being the lowest.
The United States estimates that about 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking and forced labor, a phenomenon that primarily affects women, members of the LGBT community (an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), and ethnic and religious minorities. .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.