Freetown/Abuja, 28 November 2025 – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has strongly condemned Thursday’s attempted military coup in Guinea-Bissau, describing it as a “grave threat to constitutional order and regional stability” and reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy toward unconstitutional changes of government.
The condemnation came at the end of an emergency virtual summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
The meeting was convened less than 24 hours after heavy gunfire erupted around the government palace in Bissau on 27 November, followed by an announcement from elements of the Guinea-Bissau armed forces claiming they had taken control of the country.
The military intervention occurred while the National Elections Commission (CNE) was still tallying results from the 23 November presidential and legislative elections, in which incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was seeking re-election against former prime minister and 2019 runner-up Domingos Simões Pereira.
In a communiqué issued after the summit, ECOWAS said it had been “closely monitoring” the unfolding crisis and praised Bissau-Guinean voters for turning out peacefully despite a history of political instability in the country, which has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974.
The regional bloc expressed “deep concern” over confirmed reports that President Embaló, several cabinet ministers, the president of the National Elections Commission, and other senior officials had been detained by the military.
ECOWAS demanded their “immediate and unconditional release” and full guarantees for their safety and that of all civilians, foreign nationals, and international personnel in the country.
“The military junta bears individual and collective responsibility for the physical integrity and well-being of the detainees,” the statement warned, invoking the 2001 ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
ECOWAS further insisted that the electoral process must be allowed to resume immediately and conclude without further interference or intimidation, and that the will of the Bissau-Guinean people as expressed at the ballot box must be respected.
President Bio, speaking in his capacity as ECOWAS Chair, urged all political actors and the population to remain calm and refrain from any actions that could exacerbate tensions.
He reiterated the bloc’s readiness to deploy diplomatic and, if necessary, other measures to restore constitutional order.
Sources in Bissau reported sporadic gunfire continuing into Friday morning in parts of the capital, while internet and mobile communications remained partially disrupted. The African Union, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have all issued statements echoing ECOWAS’ condemnation and calling for a return to civilian rule.
ECOWAS has scheduled a follow-up meeting of its Mediation and Security Council for early next week and stated it “remains seized of the matter” until democracy is fully restored in Guinea-Bissau.
