West African leaders convened in an emergency virtual meeting on Thursday night to vehemently denounce the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau and call for the prompt reinstatement of constitutional governance, characterizing the events as a grave danger to the nation’s precarious democracy.
In order to evaluate the escalating crisis following the military takeover on November 26, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Mediation and Security Council (MSC) called an extraordinary meeting of heads of state and government, presided over by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
Following the coup, ECOWAS presidents unanimously agreed to bar Guinea-Bissau from participating in any regional bloc decision-making bodies until a comprehensive and sufficient constitutional order was restored.
Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, submitted a report to the MSC detailing the worsening circumstances after the coup. Leaders praised voters for their “resilience and commitment to democracy” during the November 23 votes while expressing concern over interruptions to the voting process.
The post-session statement demanded the “unconditional restoration of constitutional order without delay” and denounced “in the strongest terms the coup d’état perpetrated on November 26, 2025.”
ECOWAS “rejects any arrangements that perpetuate the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau,” according to the presidents’ explicit statement.
They urged the coup organizers to let the National Electoral Commission begin right now and announce the election results on November 23. The “immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials, particularly President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and other electoral officials” was another demand made by ECOWAS.
The coup leaders were also forewarned by ECOWAS that they would be held “both individually and collectively responsible” for the security of all detainees as well as the preservation of life and property in Guinea-Bissau.
ECOWAS declared that a high-level mediation team, headed by the ECOWAS Chair and comprising the presidents of Togo, Cabo Verde, and Senegal, will visit Bissau to speak with the coup leaders as part of the organization’s efforts to end the conflict. The purpose is to ensuring that the nation’s constitutional order is fully restored.
The communiqué also instructed the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to keep defending state institutions and urged the country’s military forces “to return to barracks and to maintain their constitutional role.”
As the meeting came to an end, ECOWAS reiterated that it “reserves the right to use all options” under its protocols, including penalties, against anybody deemed to be impeding the democratic process.
In line with ECOWAS’s concerns, the African Union (AU) also denounced the military takeover and called for President Embalo’s immediate and unconditional release.
In order to preserve democracy in Guinea-Bissau, the European Union (EU) joined other international players in demanding a prompt return to constitutional order and the continuation of the electoral process.
Since armed soldiers arrested President Embalo on Wednesday and prevented the announcement of preliminary election results, Guinea-Bissau has experienced political unrest. Embalo was reportedly “safe and sound” after being transported to Senegal on a military aircraft on Thursday. Embalo had been in a close race with opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa.
General Horta N’Tam, the army chief of staff, was chosen to head a one-year transitional administration by the military, which took control after the electoral dispute. After taking an oath at the military headquarters, General N’Tam confirmed his appointment.
Due to the country’s continued military rule, reports from Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, on Thursday showed soldiers patrolling important avenues and extensive market closures.
Guinea-Bissau has seen multiple attempted and four successful coups since gaining independence in 1974.
