ECOWAS Chair urges rapid return to constitutional rule in Guinea-Bissau

ECOWAS Chair and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio has engaged directly with the military authorities in Guinea-Bissau, reaffirming the regional bloc’s demand for an immediate restoration of constitutional rule.

President Bio met Major-General Horta Inta-a and senior members of the military leadership in Bissau on Monday, December 1, 2025, in what officials described as a constructive effort to guide the country back toward democratic governance.

He was accompanied by Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission; Leonardo Santos Simão, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel; and Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister and Chair of the ECOWAS Executive Council, Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba.

The visit was mandated by an extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, which instructed President Bio to lead a high-level mission to secure commitments from the military leadership on restoring constitutional order.

As part of the engagements, the delegation also met with Guinea-Bissau’s Electoral Commission. The Chairman and members of the Commission briefed President Bio on the state of the country’s electoral environment and ongoing preparations.

In a statement read on Guinea Bissau state television, military spokesperson Diniz N’Tchama said the officers had suspended the electoral process, closed the country’s borders, and imposed a curfew after allegedly toppling President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

The move deepened concerns in a nation long marked by political volatility and its reputation as a major transit hub for cocaine trafficking into Europe.

Shortly after the military declaration, top opposition candidate Fernando Dias released a video saying he was safe after an attempted arrest by armed men. Dias alleged that the coup was “simulated” because he had won the election and claimed former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira had been detained.

The African Union and ECOWAS expressed “deep concern” and demanded the immediate release of electoral officials who were reportedly arrested.

Guinea-Bissau has experienced multiple coup attempts in recent years. Embaló has previously stated he survived at least three attempts on his life, while critics accuse him of leveraging instability for political control. In December 2023, heavy gunfire rocked Bissau in an alleged putsch attempt, after which Embaló dissolved parliament. The country has not had a functioning legislature since.

The run-up to last Sunday’s election was also marked by controversy, with the opposition insisting that Embaló had overstayed his mandate.

Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana has strongly condemned the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, describing it as an unconstitutional attack on democratic governance and a serious disruption of the country’s ongoing electoral process.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 26, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the action by elements of the Guinea-Bissau armed forces constitutes “an unequivocal usurpation of authority”, warning that the move threatens stability in the West African subregion.

According to the statement, the Government of Ghana views the development with profound concern, noting that the attempted seizure of power overturns the will of the people who voted in the presidential and legislative elections held on November 23, 2025.

The Ministry said the military intervention has “dangerously interrupted the democratic trajectory of the nation and obstructed the anticipated announcement of the election results scheduled for 27th November.”