ECOWAS bans Guinea-Bissau following coup

West African leaders have suspended Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies following the military coup that took place on November 26. 

They also demanded an immediate return to constitutional rule, warning that the coup puts the country’s fragile democracy at risk.

The decision was taken during an emergency virtual meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council on Thursday night.

The session was chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and attended by leaders from Cabo Verde, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, as well as 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.”

The MSC asked coup leaders to guarantee safe passage for ECOWAS and international election observers. It said, “The MSC decides, in accordance with the provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance 2001 (A/SP/12/01), to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country.”

A high-level mediation team, led by the ECOWAS chair and including the presidents of Togo, Cabo Verde, and Senegal, will travel to Bissau to “engage the leaders of the coup with a view to ensuring the full restoration of constitutional order.”

The communiqué also urged Guinea-Bissau’s armed forces “to return to barracks and to maintain their constitutional role” and asked the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission to continue protecting state institutions.

ECOWAS said it “reserves the right to use all options” under its protocols, including sanctions, against those who disrupted the democratic process.

The African Union condemned the coup and demanded Embalo’s immediate release. The European Union called for “a swift return to the constitutional order and the resumption of the electoral process.”

Guinea-Bissau has been in chaos since Wednesday, when soldiers detained President Embalo and stopped the release of provisional election results.

Senegal’s government said Embalo was flown into the country “safe and sound” on Thursday. The coup came during a tight race between Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, who told AFP he believed he won and claimed the takeover was “organised by Mr Embalo.” Embalo denied any wrongdoing.

After the coup, the military appointed General Horta N’Tam, the army chief of staff, to lead a one-year transition. “I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command,” N’Tam said after taking the oath.

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