ECOWAS delegation visits Guinea-Bissau for talks after military coup

Nigeria authorises protection for Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Fernando Dias da Costa, citing ‘imminent threat to his life’.Published On 1 Dec 2025A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has visited Guinea-Bissau for mediation talks with leaders of last week’s coup, as regional pressure mounts on the military leaders who seized power after a disputed election.The mission, led by ECOWAS chairman and Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, came to Guinea-Bissau on Monday to urge the military authorities for a “complete restoration of constitutional order.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Indonesia races to find missing after massive floods, landslideslist 2 of 4Children forced to take up jobs to help their families survive in Gazalist 3 of 4From war to winter: Gaza couple wait to welcome baby in flooded tentlist 4 of 4US, UK agree to zero tariffs on medicines; UK commits to higher spendingend of listThe military has tightened restrictions in the country, banning all demonstrations and strikes.“We’ve had today very fruitful discussions,” said Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba. “Both sides have expressed their different concerns.”Joao Bernardo Vieira, the newly appointed foreign minister of Guinea-Bissau, said it was “very clearly established” that ECOWAS would not leave the country “during this difficult period.”“The transitional authorities and the military will continue their discussions,” he said.The coup unfolded three days after the country’s closely contested presidential election, with both main contenders – incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa – claiming victory before provisional results were due to be announced. No results have been released since.During the takeover, Embalo told French media by phone that he had been deposed and arrested. He has since fled to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.Guinea-Bissau military officials appointed former army chief of staff General Horta Inta-A to lead a one-year transition government. On Saturday, Inta-a named a new 28-member cabinet, made up largely of figures allied with the deposed president.