ECOWAS Parliament Faults Guinea-Bissau Coup, Describes As Unacceptable Assault On Democracy

The ECOWAS Parliament has described the recent military coup d’etat and takeover of power in Guinea-Bissau as an unacceptable assault on democracy and a direct threat to regional and global stability.

The parliament’s Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima stated this during the 2025 Second Ordinary Session in Abuja on Tuesday, convened by the Parliament amid rising concern over backsliding in democratic governance across West Africa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-week session, which coincides with the Parliament’s 25th anniversary, will focus on a range of issues, including the 2026 Community Budget and legislative reforms.

Others include gender parity and women’s mainstreaming in politics, country reports, strategic engagements with international partners, and the specific dedication of Wednesday to deliberations on the Guinea-Bissau coup.

Ibrahima, whose keynote address was read by the First Deputy Speaker and Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, warned that the coup violated ECOWAS’s zero-tolerance principle against unconstitutional changes of government.

The speaker stated that the military takeover of power in Guinea-Bissau occurred despite a peaceful electoral process and demanded the full restoration of democratic order in the country.

She also described the military action as a domestic constitutional breach and a destabilising ripple in a region that is already grappling with insecurity, economic strain, and fragile political transitions.

Ibrahima announced that a high-level session would be held on Wednesday to enable regional parliamentarians to exhaustively deliberate on the coup in Guinea-Bissau and chart the way forward.

While decrying the coup as an unfortunate development, she declared that the regional body stood resolutely with the people of Guinea-Bissau amid the truncating of democracy in their country.

The speaker said that the coup signalled a renewed push by ECOWAS to assert authority at a time that the region was witnessing a disturbing resurgence of coups from the Sahel to the coast.

According to her, the will of Guinea-Bissau’s electorate must prevail, adding that ECOWAS institutions and heads of state are aligned on sanctions and diplomatic measures to reverse the military takeover.

Ibrahima called for collective action to protect democratic gains across the sub-region as the panacea for development.

“The voices of the people, expressed clearly and peacefully at the ballot box, must be respected.

“Persistent insecurity, economic crises, climate shocks, and unstable transitions continue to test our region.

“However, coordinated, united action remains our best defence,” she said.