ECOWAS Chairman and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio says he has engaged Guinea-Bissau’s military leaders as the regional bloc moves to restore constitutional rule in the country.
Bio, in a post on X on Monday, said the talks followed decisions reached at an extraordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council. He reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to ensuring a return to democratic governance.
Guinea-Bissau has long struggled with political instability and repeated coups since independence in 1974. The latest crisis began on November 26, when soldiers seized key government sites, suspended the electoral process, closed all borders and imposed a curfew. The next day, the junta appointed Horta Inta-A Na Man as a one-year transitional president before reopening borders to ease economic strain.
ECOWAS responded by holding an emergency virtual session on November 28, condemning the coup, demanding the release of detained officials, and suspending Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies until constitutional order is restored.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who led the ECOWAS election observer mission, has questioned the legitimacy of the coup, suggesting it may have been orchestrated by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
