ECOWAS loses one more state to military rule following successful coup in Guinea-Bissau

With the president and top officials detained, the country becomes the latest ECOWAS member to come under military control, reducing the number of bloc members under civilian rule to eleven, down from twelve, which now include Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The nation has not yet announced whether it will exit ECOWAS.

The coup comes as the bloc continues to navigate challenges posed by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), whose recent separation from ECOWAS has already tested the regional body’s diplomatic and sanctions mechanisms.

In an exclusive phone call with FRANCE 24, Embalo confirmed he had been removed from office.

“I have been deposed,” he said, adding that he could not speak further without risking his phone being confiscated. Embalo said he was “currently at the general staff headquarters.”

Earlier, Embalo told Jeune Afrique that he was being arrested after men in uniform stormed the presidential palace while he was in his office.

The coup extended to top military and government officials, including Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces General Biague Na Ntan, Deputy Chief of Staff General Mamadou Toure, and Interior Minister Botche Cande.

Both Embalo and his closest rival, Fernando Dias, had claimed victory ahead of official results, heightening tensions in a nation with a long history of military interference. Witnesses reported gunfire across key areas of the city, causing chaos as civilians abandoned homes and streets became congested with vehicles.

Hours after the unrest, military officers appeared on state television to announce the formation of the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” declaring they would govern until further notice. The soldiers urged citizens to “remain calm” but gave no timeline for a return to civilian rule.

Guinea-Bissau, with a population under two million, has endured nine coups or attempted coups since 1980, including two attempts to remove Embalo, the most recent in December 2023.

Analysts say ECOWAS must act quickly to secure Embalo’s release, mediate between military and political actors, and consider deploying observers or peacekeeping units to stabilise the country.

After 2000, Africa saw a decline in military interventions, but the trend has reversed sharply in recent years.

A BBC analysis notes that only one coup occurred in 2020 (Mali), but five countries faced coups in 2021, and another five attempted in 2022, including successful overthrows in Burkina Faso.

Of the 18 coups recorded globally since 2017, all but one – Myanmar in 2021, occurred in Africa, highlighting the continent’s persistent political fragility.