Guinea-Bissau Opposition Slams ECOWAS for Coup Legitimacy
LISBON — Guinea-Bissau’s opposition parties have launched a scathing attack on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the regional bloc of bias and of “legitimizing” the military leaders who seized power in a November coup.
In an open letter released Tuesday, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and the API-Cabaz Garandi coalition expressed “perplexity” over a recent ECOWAS diplomatic mission to Bissau. The opposition claims the delegation, led by Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba, ignored democratic stakeholders to cozy up to the de facto military government.
“A Ceremonial Coup”
The opposition argues that the mission completely ignored the country’s most representative political alliances. Most notably, the delegation reportedly refused to meet with Fernando Dias da Costa, the man who insists he won the presidential election that was violently interrupted by the November 26, 2025, coup.
The letter reiterates allegations that the takeover was orchestrated by former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló to prevent the publication of election results that were moving against him. The opposition pointedly referenced former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, an election observer who famously characterized the power grab as a “ceremonial coup.”
Ignoring the Mandate
According to the Bissau-Guinean opposition, ECOWAS has failed to hold the junta accountable to the standards set during its December summit in Nigeria. They claim the military has ignored key regional demands, including:
- The release of all political prisoners, including PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira, who has been in detention since January.
- The establishment of an inclusive, civilian-led government.
- A return to constitutional order.
“The ECOWAS mission did not bother to evaluate any of these points,” the letter states. “It limited itself to uncritically accepting the false narratives presented by the coup plotters.”
Concerns Over Constitutional Rewrite
The opposition is particularly alarmed by what they describe as ECOWAS’s endorsement of a new Transition Program. The military-led National Transition Council (CNT) has replaced the elected parliament and is currently rewriting the nation’s Constitution and Electoral Code.
“The coup plotters informed the mission of the preparation of a referendum on this new Constitution, and ECOWAS considers them to be on the right track,” the letter notes sarcastically. “The CNT revises the Electoral Code, and ECOWAS applauds once again.”
A Nation in Limbo
Guinea-Bissau remains suspended from ECOWAS, the African Union, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Following the military takeover, General Horta Inta-a was appointed Transitional President, promising a one-year transition period.
The current transitional government is a fragile mix of military officers and members of the ousted executive. However, with the elected speaker of parliament behind bars and the country’s main political voices excluded from the dialogue, the opposition warns that the regional bloc is helping to bury democracy in Guinea-Bissau rather than reviving it.
Note: This report was compiled remotely as the Lusa news agency bureau in Guinea-Bissau remains suspended following the government’s expulsion of Portuguese media representatives in August.
Image: Pexels – Anya Juárez Tenorio
