PAIGC Meeting: Guinea-Bissau Party Faces Military Crackdown
BISSAU – Guinea-Bissau’s historic liberation party, the PAIGC, is preparing for a high-stakes Central Committee meeting this Saturday—though the party warns that government interference may force the 500-member gathering to move online.
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) faces a mounting crisis following the military coup of November 26, 2025. Party headquarters remain shuttered by the military, and party leader Domingos Simões Pereira—who also leads the PAI-Terra Ranka Coalition—has been under house arrest since the takeover.
Muniro Conté, spokesperson for the PAIGC, told Lusa that while the meeting is scheduled for 10:00 AM on March 28 at a Bissau hotel, the party is ready to pivot to a digital format. “Given the history of disturbances and impediments by the authorities of the regime, we are resorting to statutory rules that allow for an online meeting,” Conté said.
A Party Divided
The primary goal of Saturday’s meeting is to schedule the XI Party Congress, where leadership for the upcoming December general elections will be decided. However, the PAIGC is currently battling a factional split. A group of leaders who joined the military-appointed government recently announced their own rival congress for May 9, arguing that Pereira is unfit to lead while in detention.
The official PAIGC Standing Committee has dismissed these claims, asserting that only statutory bodies have the legitimacy to call a congress. They are currently proposing a date in late June or early July.
Navigating Political Turmoil
Managing a 541-member digital meeting presents logistical challenges. Conté noted that if a full online assembly proves impossible, the party’s statutes allow the Central Committee to delegate decision-making power to the smaller 110-member Political Bureau.
This internal power struggle comes at a volatile time for Guinea-Bissau. The November 2025 coup interrupted an ongoing electoral process and led to the deposition of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. The subsequent military-led government has rescheduled general elections for December 6, following years of political fracturing that has seen the country’s major parties split into pro- and anti-regime factions.
Pereira, a perennial rival of the deposed Embaló, was barred from running in previous elections by court order. His supporters now view the upcoming congress as a critical step in reclaiming the party’s influence and challenging the current military administration.
Note: This report was compiled remotely as the Lusa news agency’s Guinea-Bissau delegation remains suspended following the government’s expulsion of Portuguese media representatives in August.
Image: Pexels – Sebastián Contreras
