The ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) has condemned the coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau, calling for the “unconditional restoration of constitutional order” following the military takeover on 26 November 2025.
The position was contained in a communique issued after an extraordinary virtual session of Heads of State and Government held on Thursday, 27 November 2025, under the chairmanship of President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone.
President Bio said the regional bloc was deeply troubled by developments in Bissau. “ECOWAS is gravely concerned that this crisis is unfolding just days after the people of Guinea-Bissau demonstrated remarkable commitment to democracy by turning out for presidential and parliamentary elections,” he said.
The MSC demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials, including President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, electoral officers and political figures arrested during the takeover.
“The will of the people must be respected. The National Electoral Commission should proceed without delay to declare the results of the November 23 elections,” the council said.
ECOWAS also held the coup leaders “individually and collectively responsible” for the safety of citizens, residents and detained officials. The bloc further instructed the military junta to guarantee the protection and safe passage of ECOWAS and international election observers who were in the country to monitor the polls.
In line with the 2001 ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the MSC announced the immediate suspension of Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies of the regional organisation until democratic order is restored.
The bloc also ordered the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to continue protecting state institutions during the crisis.
To accelerate the return to civilian rule, the MSC mandated the ECOWAS Authority Chair to lead a high-level mediation mission to Bissau. The delegation will include President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, President Jose Maria Neves of Cabo Verde, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission.
The communique urged Guinea-Bissau’s armed forces to return to the barracks immediately and resume their constitutional role. It added that ECOWAS would remain engaged and “use all options provided by its protocols, including sanctions, against those found culpable of disrupting the electoral process.”
ECOWAS Commissioners, African Union officials, United Nations representatives and Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Foreign Affairs also attended the virtual session.
RN
