After the Coup.. ECOWAS Delegation Arrives in Guinea-Bissau for Talks

SadaNews - A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Guinea-Bissau for mediation talks with the coup leaders who took power last week, amidst increasing regional pressure on the military that seized control after contested elections.

The delegation, led by ECOWAS President and Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, arrived in Bissau to urge the military authorities to "fully restore constitutional order".

The army has tightened its restrictions in the country, banning all demonstrations and strikes. Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kaba said, "We had very fruitful discussions today, and both sides expressed their different concerns".

For his part, Guinea-Bissau's new Foreign Minister João Bernardo Vieira stated that it is "very clear" that ECOWAS will not leave the country "during this difficult period", adding that "the transitional authorities and the military will continue their discussions".

The coup came three days before the announcement of closely contested presidential election results, with both outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa proclaiming victory before the preliminary results were announced, which have not yet been published.

During the power takeover, Embaló told French media via phone that he was ousted and detained, and later fled to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.

The military in Guinea-Bissau appointed former Chief of Staff General Horta Inta to lead a transitional government for a year. On Saturday, Inta announced the formation of a new government of 28 members, most of whom are allies of the ousted president.

Meanwhile, Nigeria confirmed that its President Bola Tinubu agreed to provide protection for opposition leader Dias da Costa due to a "credible threat to his life".

According to a message sent by the Nigerian Foreign Minister to ECOWAS, da Costa is currently at the Nigerian embassy in Bissau, and the message requested the deployment of ECOWAS forces to secure him.

On another note, the African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde announced that its headquarters in the capital was subjected to an "illegal invasion by heavily armed militias".

The party had been barred from presenting a presidential candidate in the November 23 elections, which was criticized by human rights organizations as part of a broader campaign to suppress the opposition.

ECOWAS, the leading regional political authority in West Africa comprising 15 countries, responded to the coup by suspending Guinea-Bissau's membership in all its bodies "until full and effective constitutional order is restored in the country".

International condemnations continued, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed "grave concern" and condemned the military takeover, warning that ignoring the "will of the people who peacefully cast their votes in the November 23 general elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles".

Guterres called for the "immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order" and the release of all detained officials, including election authorities and opposition figures.

Source: Al Jazeera