UPDATE: ECOWAS suspends Guinea-Bissau after coup

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)   - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country following the military coup of 26 November that overthrew Umaro Sissoco Embaló. 

A communique by ECOWAS said the ECOWAS  Mediation and Security Council (MSC) held an extraordinary virtual meeting on Thursday at the level of Heads of State and Government and took wide-ranging decisions following the coup. 

“The MSC condemns in the strongest terms the coup d’état… and calls for the unconditional restoration of constitutional order without delay,” said a communique of the meeting. 

“It rejects any arrangements that perpetuate the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau.”

Guinea Bissau military personnel announced on Wednesday that they had taken "total control" of the country, a decision which they said would remain in effect "until further notice".

The coup leaders also suspended the electoral process, as the coup was carried out while the Electoral Commission was tallying the votes of last Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections. 

The military announced the appointment of General Horta N'Tam, a former chief of staff of the army, as president of the Republic, for a period of one year.

The ECOWAS extraordinary virtual meeting Chaired by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, current chairperson of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government,  expressed its deep concern with the unfolding political crisis in Guinea-Bissau, especially at a time when Bissau Guineans have demonstrated resilience and commitment to democracy by participating actively in the presidential and parliamentary elections held on 23 November 2025.

The ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council demanded that the leaders of the coup respect the will of the people and allow the National Electoral Commission, CNE, to proceed without delay with the declaration of the results of the elections of 23 November 2025. 

The MSC further called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials including electoral officials and all other political figures.

Ousted President Sissoco Embaló was released on Thursday and has since arrived in Dakar, Senegal, the Senegalese Foreign Ministry has announced.

Ambassador Baba Kamara, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Guinea-Bissau, has decided to stay put until all 135 Medium- and Short-Term observers have returned to their various destinations following the military takeover of government in the country.

“I had the opportunity to leave with former President (Goodluck) Jonathan of Nigeria and his delegation in the limited seats on his special flight, but I cannot leave any observer behind in Guinea-Bissau,” Ambassador Kamara, Ghana’s former High Commissioner to Nigeria and ECOWAS,” told the ECOWAS observers on Thursday, as the ECOWAS Technical support team led by Ambassador Abdel-fatua Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, finalised arrangements for the observers’ return flights.

The MSC said it holds the leaders of the coup both individually and collectively responsible for the protection of life and property of all citizens and residents of Guinea-Bissau and for the security and safety of all detainees.

The communique called on the leaders of the coup to guarantee the safety and facilitate the evacuation and safe passage of ECOWAS and all other international election observers.

“The MSC mandates the Chair of the Authority to lead a High-Level Mediation Mission to Guinea-Bissau to engage the leaders of the coup with a view to ensuring the full restoration of constitutional order,” the communique said.

It added that the Mission should include the President of the Council of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, Presidents Jose Maria Pereira Neves of Cabo Verde and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, accompanied by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.

“The MSC urges the Armed forces of Guinea Bissau to return to the barracks and maintain their constitutional role,” the communique said.

It also ordered the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea Bissau (ESSMGB) to continue to help protect the institutions of the country.

The statement warned that the MSC “reserves the right to use all options…, including sanctions on all entities deemed culpable of disrupting the electoral and democratic process in Guinea-Bissau”.

The summit was attended by five Heads of State - Presidents Jose Maria Pereira Neves (Cabo Verde), John Dramani Mahama (Ghana), Joseph Boakai (Liberia), Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Nigeria), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), and Maada Bio (Sierra Leone). 

Cote d’Ivoire was represented by Vice-President Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Benin by Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, The Gambia, by Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie, and Togo, by Minister of State for Cooperation and Togolese Abroad, Yackoley Kokou Johnson.

Also in attendance were the Commission President, Dr Touray, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Head of UNOWAS, Leonardo Santos Simao, Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Carlos Pinto Pereira, and the ECOWAS Special Envoy on Terrorism, Ambassador Baba Kamara, who led the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Guinea-Bissau.

The coup happened a day before the Electoral Commission was scheduled to announce provisional results of the elections. Embaló and another front-runner, independent candidate Fernando Dias, both claimed victory.

The coup has been condemned by the UN, AU, ECOWAS and various governments.

The soldiers, who said they had taken "total control of the country", announced that they had formed the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order and ordered the closure of the border.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, has strongly condemns the coup d’état perpetrated by elements of the military and any attempt to violate constitutional order.

He stressed that disregarding “the will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the 23 November general elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles”.

In a region already shaken by a succession of coups d'état over the past five years –- from Mali to Guinea and Burkina Faso -– Guinea-Bissau adds another episode to a list that weakens the entire West African security architecture. This development is all the more worrying as the terrorist threat now extends throughout the Sahel, including coastal areas, where jihadist groups are attempting to undermine state authority.

The military takeover opens a dreaded chapter in a country that has experienced several coups d'état since its independence from Portugal in the mid-1970s. The last successful coup, in 2012, also occurred during a presidential election. It then took two years of transition for the country to return to constitutional order through new elections.

In 2019, Umaro Sissoco Embaló was elected president, but instability never completely disappeared: persistent rivalries between security forces, tensions with the opposition, accusations of foiled plots, and suspicions of military interference have marked recent years. With this latest upheaval, Guinea-Bissau seems to be plunging back into a cycle from which it has struggled to escape for half a century.

-0- PANA MA/RA 28Nov2025