Sierra Leone’s President, who chaired Thursday’s extraordinary virtual summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, has issued a strong condemnation of the coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau, warning that the military intervention poses a grave threat to constitutional rule and regional stability.
The emergency meeting was convened to assess the political crisis triggered by the armed forces’ announcement of a takeover while Guinea-Bissau awaited results from its 23 November presidential and legislative elections.
In a statement released after the summit, the ECOWAS Chair said the bloc had been “closely monitoring” events and commended citizens for “peacefully exercising their democratic rights” during polling. He criticised the coup as an unlawful interruption of the electoral process at a decisive stage, stressing ECOWAS’ zero-tolerance policy for unconstitutional changes of government under its Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
ECOWAS expressed particular concern over the reported arrests of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, senior officials and electoral personnel. The Chair demanded their “immediate and unconditional release” and called for full guarantees of their safety. The bloc insisted that the electoral process must resume and conclude without intimidation or interference.
The statement also reminded the military leadership that they bear “individual and collective responsibility” for the safety of detainees, civilians, foreign nationals and international personnel in the country.
Appealing for calm, the Chair urged political actors and the public to avoid actions that could heighten tensions. He reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to supporting efforts to preserve peace and protect democratic governance in Guinea-Bissau.
ECOWAS said it will continue to monitor developments and remains committed to defending the democratic aspirations of the Bissau-Guinean people.
