Guinea-Bissau: Putschist Umaro Sissoco Embaló seizes power in a constitutional coup d’etat
The coup leader Umaro Sissoco Embaló seizes power through a constitutional coup after his term ends on February 27, 2025. He uses tricks and strategies to stay in power, postpones elections, and prevents the opposition from expressing itself. On top of that, he challenges ECOWAS by forcing its diplomatic mission to leave the country. This situation jeopardizes the stability of the country and the region.
Instead of respecting the law and stepping down, Embaló’s junta relies on a contested decision from the Supreme Court to extend his term until September 2025. He promises elections in November 2025, but many believe this is a ploy to cling to power and silence his opponents. This strategy plunges Guinea-Bissau into a deep crisis.
ECOWAS tried to intervene by sending a diplomatic mission, but the president rejected any negotiations and forced the mission to leave. This failure shows that ECOWAS is struggling to resolve crises and impose its authority in the face of authoritarian leaders like Embaló.
This situation highlights why Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger decided to leave ECOWAS to form the AES. These countries lost faith in an ineffective organization influenced by former colonial powers. The crisis in Guinea-Bissau proves them right and shows that ECOWAS does not truly protect the people it is supposed to defend.
