ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have condemned the 26 November coup in Guinea-Bissau in a rare emergency session, demanding the swift and unconditional restoration of constitutional rule following the disruption of presidential and parliamentary elections held just days earlier.
Meeting virtually on Thursday, 27 November, under the chairmanship of Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) reviewed the fast-unfolding political crisis that has plunged the country into uncertainty.
The extraordinary session brought together leaders and representatives from Nigeria, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Senegal, Benin, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, alongside senior officials of the African Union, United Nations and the ECOWAS Commission.
In a strongly worded communiqué, the MSC lamented the timing of the coup, noting that citizens of Guinea-Bissau had demonstrated “resilience and commitment to democracy” by turning out for the 23 November elections.
The Council said the military takeover was an unacceptable interruption of the democratic process and a direct subversion of the people’s will.
ECOWAS “condemns in the strongest terms the coup d’état perpetrated on 26 November, 2025 and calls for the unconditional restoration of constitutional order without delay,” the communiqué stated.
