A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in Guinea-Bissau on Monday to engage the country’s coup leaders in mediation talks aimed at achieving the “complete restoration of constitutional order.”
The mission is led by the bloc’s chairman, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, and comes amid heightened political tension following last Wednesday’s military takeover. Since seizing power, the junta has banned demonstrations, strikes, and any activities it considers a threat to peace and stability. It has also ordered all public institutions and ministries to resume operations.
The coup occurred three days after a fiercely contested presidential election, with both leading candidates claiming victory. During the takeover, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló told French media he had been deposed and arrested. He has since fled to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.
The military has installed former army chief of staff Gen. Horta Inta-a as head of the transitional government, which is expected to oversee a one-year transition. On Saturday, Inta-a unveiled a new 28-member cabinet, predominantly composed of allies of the ousted president.
Nigeria also confirmed that President Bola Tinubu has granted protection to opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa following what it described as an “imminent threat” to his life. According to a letter Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister sent to ECOWAS on Sunday, Dias da Costa is currently at the Nigerian embassy in Bissau, with Abuja requesting ECOWAS troops to reinforce his security.
In response to the coup, ECOWAS suspended Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies until constitutional order is fully restored. It said its mediation team would meet the coup leaders to press for the reinstatement of democratic governance.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the military takeover, calling it a grave violation of democratic norms. He stressed that overturning “the will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the Nov. 23 general elections” was unacceptable. Guterres urged the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional rule and the release of all detained officials, including electoral authorities and opposition figures.
