The West African leaders have suspended Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies after a military coup on November 26 and called for the immediate return of constitutional rule, saying the coup threatens the country’s fragile democracy.
The Extraordinary Session of ECOWAS’ Mediation and Security Council (MSC) met virtually on Thursday night, chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio. The meeting included leaders from Cabo Verde, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire’s vice president, and senior ministers from Benin, The Gambia, and Togo.
Also attending were the heads of the ECOWAS Commission, African Union Commission, United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister, and ECOWAS’s special envoy.
The MSC reviewed a report from ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray about the crisis. Leaders expressed concern over disruptions to the electoral process and praised citizens for their “resilience and commitment to democracy” during the polls.
The MSC said it “condemns in the strongest terms the coup d’état perpetrated on 26 November 2025 and calls for the unconditional restoration of constitutional order without delay.”
It also said the bloc “rejects any arrangements that perpetuate the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau.”
ECOWAS demanded that coup organisers allow the National Electoral Commission to continue its work, stating that they must “respect the will of the people and allow the National Electoral Commission to proceed without delay with the declaration of the results of the elections of 23 November 2025.”
The bloc also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials, in particular President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, as well as the electoral officials and all other political figures.”
It warned that coup leaders would be held “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.”
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