PAIGC Internal Rift: Leadership Bid Postponed in Guinea-Bissau
LISBON – A breakaway faction within Guinea-Bissau’s historic PAIGC party has postponed its planned congress to replace the party’s leadership, citing government restrictions on large gatherings. The move underscores the deepening rift within the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) following the November 2025 military coup.
The internal opposition, calling itself the “Reflection Group for the Renewal and Salvation of the PAIGC,” had previously scheduled the party’s 11th extraordinary congress for May 9 and 10. The group argues that the current leadership is no longer fit to govern. However, in a letter published Friday by local media, the group announced the meeting would be delayed until the transitional government lifts bans on large public assemblies.
A Party Divided by a Coup
The Reflection Group is primarily composed of party figures who remained in government roles after the 2023 dissolution of the PAI-Terra Ranka majority coalition. These members now serve in the transitional executive appointed by the military after the coup d’état on November 26, 2025.
Meanwhile, the party’s long-standing president, Domingos Simões Pereira, remains under house arrest following his detention during the coup. Pereira has led the PAIGC for 12 years. While his supporters maintain his legitimacy, critics claim his house arrest renders him unable to lead effectively. The opposition group claims it has already secured the 250 signatures per region required by party statutes to trigger a leadership change.
Legal and Political Maneuvering
The official PAIGC leadership has hit back, accusing the Reflection Group of attempting a power grab. Efforts by the party’s Central Committee to meet on March 28 were thwarted when military authorities closed the party’s headquarters, and subsequent attempts to meet at a local hotel were blocked by the ban on political activities.
To circumvent these restrictions, PAIGC spokesperson Muniro Conté suggested that the party might hold a virtual congress, a format he says is permitted under the organization’s statutes.
Broader Political Turmoil
The fracture within the PAIGC mirrors splits in Guinea-Bissau’s other major political forces, MADEM G-15 and the PRS. Both parties have divided into factions—one loyal to established leadership and the other aligned with the regime of former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
Guinea-Bissau is currently under the rule of a military-appointed transitional government led by President General Horta Inta-A. The general has promised a return to constitutional order with elections scheduled for December 6, following a one-year transitional period. However, the political landscape remains fraught; Pereira and the PAIGC were excluded from the contested 2025 elections, the results of which were never officially released before the military seized power.
The political crisis continues to unfold as international observers watch for signs of stability ahead of the promised December vote.
Note: This report was compiled remotely as the Lusa news agency’s delegation in Guinea-Bissau remains suspended following the government’s expulsion of Portuguese media representatives in August.
Image: Pexels – Ehaan Deva
