Global Protests Demand End to Guinea-Bissau Military Rule
An international coalition of activists and political leaders has launched the International Solidarity Network with Guinea-Bissau, announcing a wave of global protests for October 24 to demand a return to democracy following a military coup.
Global Demonstrations to Target Major Capitals
The newly formed network plans to take to the streets in several European and African capitals. Demonstrations are confirmed for Paris, London, and Lisbon. In Africa, protests will center on Praia, Cape Verde, and Dakar, Senegal.
Mariano Quadé, a deputy coordinator for the network, highlighted Senegal’s critical role, noting that the country currently chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Quadé argued that the regional body “bears greater responsibility” as it is the organization charged with restoring constitutional order in the West African nation.
A Crisis of Constitutional Order
“We are in a period of illegal military government in Guinea-Bissau,” Quadé told Lusa. The network aims to pressure the African Union, the United Nations, and ECOWAS to enforce their own resolutions. Specifically, activists are calling for the implementation of a December 2025 ECOWAS resolution intended to restore democracy, which they say has yet to produce any tangible results.
Quadé criticized the international community for its perceived inaction, describing the failure to uphold democratic standards as a “debt to the Bissau-Guinean people” who participated in elections previously validated as free and fair by global observers.
A Broad Coalition for Reform
The International Solidarity Network with Guinea-Bissau describes itself as a coalition of progressive, revolutionary, and democratic organizations. Its mission includes several urgent demands:
- Return to Democracy: Recognition of the official November 2025 election results.
- Military Withdrawal: Demanding that soldiers return to their barracks and end the current military regime.
- Human Rights Protections: An immediate end to extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, and arbitrary detentions, alongside the release of all political prisoners.
- Political Freedom: Reopening the national headquarters of the PAIGC and other opposition parties.
- Rejection of Referendum: The group formally rejects the August 30, 2026, referendum, which it claims was an unconstitutional attempt to solidify military rule.
Diverse International Support
Coordinated by Elsa Pontes Betu, the network brings together a wide range of influential organizations, including the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), and the Socialist Movement of Ghana. The coalition also includes youth and women’s organizations, such as the Amílcar Cabral African Youth (JAAC) in France.
By organizing international mobilization, the network aims to move beyond rhetoric and force a global response to the deteriorating political situation in Bissau.
Image: Pexels – Jean Marc Bonnel
