The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all its decision-making bodies following a military takeover that disrupted the country’s recent elections.
The decision was announced after an emergency virtual meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) on Thursday, chaired by Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, who also leads the bloc’s Authority of Heads of State and Government.
In its statement, the MSC said the suspension is in accordance with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001) and will remain in effect until full constitutional order is restored.
The coup occurred on Wednesday, just three days after contested presidential and legislative elections, when military officers halted the electoral process, closed national borders, and prevented the release of official results.
ECOWAS condemned the takeover, calling the detention of key figures—including incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, widely projected to win the elections—unacceptable. The bloc demanded the immediate release of all detained political actors, including electoral officials, and insisted that the electoral commission be allowed to announce results without interference.
Despite the regional pressure, the coup leaders appointed Army Chief of Staff General Horta N’Tam as the transitional head of state for a one-year term.