Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Sierra Leone’s president and current chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone met with the leader of the new military junta in Guinea-Bissau on December 1, to broker an end to the country’s latest military takeover.
The visit came five days after army officers ousted the country’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, suspending state institutions and halting the release of results from the presidential elections conducted on November 23.
Bio landed at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, where he was received with a red-carpet ceremony. Accompanied by the ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray, he proceeded to the Presidential Palace for talks with the junta. A welcoming party that included Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister and an ECOWAS special envoy received him at the airport.
Bio held extended talks at the Presidential Palace with junta representatives. Discussions focused on releasing election results, freeing detainees, and outlining a timeline for transition, though no immediate agreements on releasing election results or detained officials were announced.
Bio issued a statement after the meeting, saying; “Pursuant to the communique of the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, I engaged in a constructive discussion with the military leadership of Guinea-Bissau. As Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, I reaffirmed ECOWAS’s unwavering commitment to restore constitutional order.”
Sierra Leone’s State House described the engagements as a reaffirmation of ECOWAS’s commitment to constitutional restoration, with Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba later calling the dialogue “fruitful” in airing mutual concerns.
The junta maintained its stance on the necessity of military intervention for national security, while imposing bans on protests and strikes to prevent unrest.
The coup, the ninth such intervention since Guinea-Bissau’s 1974 independence from Portugal, unfolded amidst heightened tensions over the integrity of the process.
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the main opposition, had been barred from fielding a presidential candidate due to a late filing. Both Embalo and challenger, Fernando Dias da Costa, claimed victory in the first round, with no second-round runoff anticipated.
On November 26, elements of the military arrested Embalo at the Presidential Palace around noon local time, as confirmed by the ousted leader himself in statements to international media. Gunfire erupted near the National Electoral Commission headquarters, where armed men reportedly prevented the announcement of provisional results.
By evening, Brig. Gen. Denis N’Canha, head of the Military Office of the Presidency, announced the formation of the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order. Maj. Gen. Horta N’Tam was sworn in as interim leader the following day, pledging a one-year transition to counter alleged narco-trafficking threats to democracy.
ECOWAS responded with an emergency virtual summit on November 27/28, suspending Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies until constitutional order is restored.
Bio, as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, condemned the takeover as a “grave violation” of the bloc’s charter and a direct threat to sub regional stability. “Our response will be firm, principled, and consistent with our history,” Bio stated during the session, reaffirming support for the electoral process.
The African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, issued a parallel condemnation on Nov. 26, demanding Embalo’s unconditional release along with detained officials and political leaders.
The AU took note of a joint statement from its election observers, ECOWAS monitors, and the West African Elders Forum decrying the disruption of the vote.
By November 27, the AU suspended Guinea-Bissau from its activities, aligning with demands for swift democratic restoration. Nigeria, meanwhile, granted asylum to Dias da Costa at its Bissau embassy, citing threats to his safety.
Guinea-Bissau, a known transit point for Latin American narcotics bound for Europe, has grappled with chronic instability, including four successful coups and multiple foiled plots. The latest upheaval risks deepening economic woes in a country reliant on cashew exports and foreign aid.
ECOWAS mediators plan to reconvene in mid-December, holding open the possibility of targeted sanctions under its 2001 democracy protocol should progress stall. For Bissau-Guineans, the path to polls remains challenging.
