A high-level delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities to expedite a return to civilian governance following the coup that removed Umaro Sissoco Embaló as president in late November 2025.
Led by Sierra Leone’s president, Julius Maada Bio, the bloc’s current chair, the mission arrived in Bissau on 10 January 2026. Accompanied by Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye and ECOWAS Commission president, Omar Alieu Touray, the group held discussions with the junta’s leadership under Major-General Horta Inta-A Na Man, appointed transitional president after the takeover.
The talks, described as constructive by ECOWAS, centred on demands for a short transition period led by an inclusive civilian government representative of Guinea-Bissau’s diverse political and social landscape.
The delegation reiterated calls for the unconditional release of political detainees, including prominent opposition figure, Domingos Simões Pereira of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).
They also met independent candidate Fernando Dias da Costa and others who had sought shelter in the Nigerian embassy amid the unrest. The visit followed ECOWAS’s rejection of the junta’s initial one-year transition plan at its 68th summit in Abuja in December 2025.
The bloc has insisted on a compressed four-month civilian-led process, the publication of results from the disputed 23 November 2025 elections, and warned of targeted sanctions against those blocking progress. No immediate breakthroughs were announced, though ECOWAS committed to continued monitoring.
The coup unfolded on 26 November 2025, when soldiers seized control just before provisional election results were due. The self-styled High Military Command for the Restoration of Order justified the action as preventing electoral fraud, amidst conflicting victory claims by Embaló and Dias da Costa. Borders and airspace closed briefly, a curfew was imposed, and gunfire echoed in the capital.
Embaló confirmed his ousting to international media and was reportedly well-treated before fleeing to Senegal, where he received asylum. Some observers, including former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, who led an ECOWAS election observation mission, described it as a “sham” or “ceremonial” coup possibly orchestrated by Embaló to avert defeat, with partial tallies suggesting Dias da Costa’s lead.
This marks the fifth successful coup in Guinea-Bissau since independence from Portugal in 1974, in the midst of persistent instability driven by disputed polls, military interventions, and political manoeuvres. Tensions had built from the 2023 parliamentary dissolution and opposition exclusions in the 2025 vote, where the PAIGC was barred from fielding a presidential candidate.
ECOWAS condemned the takeover as a grave violation of constitutional order and suspended Guinea-Bissau from decision-making bodies. An earlier delegation in December pressed for election results and the release of detainees.
The African Union, European Union, United Nations, and Community of Portuguese Language Countries echoed demands for constitutional restoration. The AU suspended the country, while the World Bank halted operations and funding.
On 13 January if this year, the National Transitional Council approved the first constitutional reform since 1995, enhancing presidential powers within the semi-presidential framework. Critics argue this entrenches junta influence and complicates a swift handover. Some detainees were freed around this time, but Simões Pereira remains in custody, with judicial proceedings cited as the reason.
Regional analysts warn that prolonged military rule risks exacerbating West Africa’s coup surge. The ECOWAS bloc’s firm position, including potential deployment of a standby force, aims to deter further instability, though enforcement remains challenging in a fragile region.
Guinea-Bissau’s crisis tests ECOWAS’s resolve to uphold democratic norms as the political crisis persists.
