Guinea-Bissau in civilian hands

Military forces that toppled the government in Guinea-Bissau in April said power was handed over to civilian authorities. Coup leaders agreed to organize a new round of elections in a year under the terms of a deal brokered by the Economic Community of West African States, the BBC reports. The U.N. Security Council slapped military coup leaders with a travel ban this week. A resolution "demanded" that military leaders take "immediate steps" to restore constitutional order and hand power over to "legitimate authorities." Under a deal brokered by ECOWAS, coup leaders handed power over to an interim civilian government. The BBC reports military authorities named Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo as the interim president. The Security Council had said it may consider financial restrictions or an arms embargo on Guinea-Bissau if military leaders refused to address international concerns. The ECOWAS deal calls for the deployment of as many as 600 peacekeepers in the country. The first deployment of troops for Burkina Faso arrived in the country last week. None of the country's former leaders was named to the interim government. No elected leader in Guinea-Bissau has finished a term in office since independence from Portugal in the 1970s. A coup attempt was thwarted in December.