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| (Photo by AA Video/Anadolu via Getty Images) |
TOPLINE: A high-level Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediation team was due in Guinea-Bissau on Monday to push for the restoration of constitutional order after the military seized power last week, as regional and continental bodies escalate pressure on coup leaders.
KEY FACTS
• The ECOWAS delegation—the presidents of Togo, Cape Verde, Senegal and the ECOWAS Commission chief—aims to persuade the junta to restore civilian rule and release the contested election results.
• Ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló reportedly arrived in the Republic of the Congo’s capital Brazzaville on Saturday after initially fleeing to Senegal following the coup.
• The African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all AU activities until constitutional order is restored.
• Guinea-Bissau’s military seized power on November 26, a day before provisional results of presidential and legislative elections could be announced.
• Major-General Horta Inta-a, installed as interim president by the military, said the intervention was necessary and pledged a one-year transition.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“The [Mediation and Security Council] MSC decides to remain seized of the situation in Guinea Bissau and reserves the right to use all options provided for by the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the 2012 Supplementary Act on Sanctions, including sanctions on all entities deemed culpable of disrupting the electoral and democratic process in Guinea Bissau.”
— Final communique of the extraordinary virtual summit of the ECOWAS heads of state and government on the situation in Guinea-Bissau.
BACKGROUND
Guinea-Bissau has experienced repeated military interventions since independence from Portugal in 1974, echoing past episodes in which the armed forces disrupted political transitions.
The AU, ECOWAS, and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries have jointly condemned the takeover, pledging coordinated diplomatic pressure for a quick return to constitutional rule.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Whether the ECOWAS delegation secures commitments from the junta on setting a credible transition timetable.
• Implications for West Africa’s wave of military and contested transitions, a growing concern ahead of the AU Summit in February, where heads of state will discuss the resurgence of coups across the continent.
TANGENT
The AU’s suspension of Guinea-Bissau aligns with its long-standing “zero tolerance” policy on coups as outlined in the Lomé Declaration and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
The PSC has also called for strengthened regional stabilization missions in the country and urged support for institutional reforms to prevent further breakdowns.
— @ForbesAfrica
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