London Protest Over Guinea-Bissau Leader’s Detention
A group of protesters swarmed the Sierra Leone embassy in London on Wednesday, demanding that West African leaders intervene to secure the release of Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira.
The demonstration took a dramatic turn when roughly 40 protesters intercepted a vehicle attempting to enter the back of the building. The vehicle was carrying Ambassador Morie Komba Manyeh, who protesters say was trying to avoid the crowd. After a tense exchange, one of the protest organizers, Armando Conté, declared a “victory” for finally forcing a face-to-face dialogue with the diplomat.
Pressure Mounts on ECOWAS
The protesters are fueled by growing frustration over the perceived silence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio, currently holds the organization’s rotating presidency. With an ECOWAS summit scheduled for this weekend, activists are demanding that the military junta in Guinea-Bissau be held accountable.
“This is the fifth time we have reached out; we have already sent five letters,” Conté told the Lusa news agency. “The ambassador never received us [previously]. He said today that he could see us in two weeks, but to me, that is irrelevant because the ECOWAS leadership will have already changed by then.”
Following the confrontation at the Sierra Leone embassy, the group marched to the Senegalese embassy, which currently holds the presidency of the ECOWAS Commission. This latest action is part of a broader international campaign that has seen the group lobby the embassies of Angola and Burundi, as well as human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.
A Nation in Political Limbo
The target of the advocacy, Domingos Simões Pereira, is the president of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). He has been held in preventive detention since last Friday at a police station in Bissau. Simões Pereira had previously been under house arrest following a military coup on November 26.
The political crisis in Guinea-Bissau ignited during last November’s elections. Simões Pereira and his party supported candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, who claimed a first-round victory over incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. However, before official results could be finalized, the military seized power, deposed Embaló, and arrested Simões Pereira.
The opposition maintains that the coup was a staged maneuver by the former president to retain control behind the scenes. Meanwhile, the Military High Command currently governing the country has scheduled new elections for December 6. They have also proposed a new Constitution that significantly expands the powers of the Head of State, which is set for a public referendum on August 30.
Protesters in London say they will not stop their efforts. Their next steps include lobbying British Members of Parliament to bring international attention to the deteriorating democratic situation in West Africa.
Image: Pexels – Artūras Kokorevas
