West African leaders urge Guinea-Bissau junta to restore constitutional order

West African leaders pressed Guinea-Bissau’s coup officers on Monday (1 December) to restore constitutional order, urging them to allow the release of election results from the disputed 23 November presidential vote, according to a Reuters witness at the meeting.

The visit marks the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) most direct attempt yet to reverse the military takeover in a country long troubled by political instability and drug-trafficking networks, and comes as the bloc faces mounting pressure to halt a series of recent coups across the region.

Leaders from the ECOWAS bloc, led by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, held tense talks in Bissau with the officers who seized power last week.

Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, Timothy Musa Kabba, said ECOWAS demanded the “restoration of constitutional order” and the “logical conclusion” of the electoral process. The bloc will decide next steps, including possible sanctions, at a 14 December summit.

Nigeria has offered opposition candidate Fernando Dias protection at its embassy in Bissau after he reported threats to his life.

The military-installed interim president, Major-General Horta Inta-a, has defended the coup as a move to prevent “narcotraffickers” from influencing the state and announced a one-year transition.

The junta has banned protests and strikes after weekend demonstrations in Bissau called for the release of detained opposition leaders and publication of the election results.

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