The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation left Guinea-Bissau on Monday, December 1, 2025, without achieving a breakthrough in negotiations with the country’s military leaders, who seized power last week. However, both sides agreed to continue discussions later in December as regional and international pressure mounts for the restoration of constitutional rule.
The high-level ECOWAS mission, led by the bloc’s current chairman and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, arrived in Bissau to engage the coup leaders and advocate for a “complete restoration of constitutional order.” The delegation also included Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba, who described the talks as “fruitful” despite the lack of a clear resolution.
Kabba said the discussions allowed both parties to “express their different concerns.” While the ECOWAS leadership condemned the coup as an unconstitutional seizure of power, the military junta defended its actions, claiming the intervention was necessary to “restore order and security” after weeks of political tension following the disputed November 23 presidential election.
The military takeover occurred just three days after Guinea-Bissau’s tightly contested presidential election, which both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa claimed to have won. The National Electoral Commission (CNE) later informed ECOWAS officials that it could not publish official results because it had not yet received complete polling reports from across the country — a delay that further fueled tensions.
ECOWAS Reaction and Next Steps
Following the coup, ECOWAS announced the suspension of Guinea-Bissau from all its decision-making bodies, citing a violation of the bloc’s democratic charter. In a statement issued after an emergency virtual summit, ECOWAS leaders warned that they “reserve the right to use all options permitted under its protocols, including sanctions on all entities deemed culpable of disrupting the electoral and democratic process.”
The delegation’s leader, President Bio, emphasized ECOWAS’ determination to ensure that Guinea-Bissau returns to constitutional rule as soon as possible. “We have made our position clear: democracy must be restored. ECOWAS will continue to engage the military to ensure the people’s will is respected,” Bio said during a press briefing in Bissau.
According to Guinea-Bissau’s new military-appointed foreign minister João Bernardo Vieira, the junta has agreed to resume talks with ECOWAS representatives on December 14, when discussions are expected to focus on transitional arrangements, the release of political detainees, and the restoration of civilian authority.
Regional and International Responses
The United Nations also condemned the coup, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warning that disregarding “the will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the Nov. 23 general elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles.” He urged the “immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order” and called for the release of all detained officials, including opposition figures and electoral commission members.
Leonardo Simão, the U.N. Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, said the ECOWAS delegation would submit a detailed report to regional heads of state for further action. “The heads of state will then make a decision on next steps after considering the situation on the ground,” he told reporters in Bissau.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has offered protection to opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, who has sought refuge at the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau amid alleged threats to his life. Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also serves as ECOWAS’ chairman on democratic governance, approved the protection request and instructed ECOWAS stabilization forces to ensure Dias’ safety.
The military junta, led by Major-General Horta Inta-a, has installed itself as the country’s interim government and announced a one-year transition period. Inta-a, a former army chief of staff, was sworn in last week and has since appointed a 28-member cabinet composed mostly of allies of the ousted president. The junta maintains that its intervention was to prevent what it described as “an attempt by narcotraffickers to capture Guinean democracy.”
Background and Historical Context
Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation of 2.2 million people, has a long history of political instability. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, it has witnessed at least ten coups and attempted coups, often fueled by political rivalries and the influence of the international drug trade. The country has become a major transshipment hub for cocaine trafficked from Latin America to Europe, a factor analysts say continues to undermine its institutions.
The recent coup underscores ECOWAS’ growing challenge in maintaining democratic stability across West Africa, where a wave of military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and now Guinea-Bissau has eroded public confidence in regional governance. While ECOWAS has imposed sanctions and demanded democratic transitions in the past, its influence appears to be weakening amid rising domestic discontent in member states over governance failures and inequality.
As ECOWAS prepares for its December 14 meeting, the bloc faces mounting pressure to strike a balance between diplomacy and enforcement to prevent another protracted political crisis in the region. For now, Guinea-Bissau remains suspended from ECOWAS activities until a credible plan for democratic restoration is agreed upon.
