Guinea-Bissau President released after ECOWAS Summit

Guinea-Bissau President released after ECOWAS Summit

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has officially confirmed the release of Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who is now in Senegal. This announcement follows an extraordinary virtual summit of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held yesterday.

Speaking in his capacity as Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority, President Bio stated that he looks forward to engaging with the military leadership to ensure the prompt restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau.

This update was delivered after President Bio chaired the virtual summit of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council to address the unfolding political crisis. During the meeting, regional leaders voiced deep concern over recent developments, which included reports of President Embaló's detention by soldiers and the obstruction of democratic processes shortly after the national elections. ECOWAS widely condemned the incident as a clear violation of regional treaty principles.

President Bio firmly reiterated his rejection of the military intervention, characterizing it as unconstitutional and contrary to the commitments made by member states. He underscored ECOWAS's unwavering and principled response, with discussions focused on pathways to stability, including mediation efforts and the safeguarding of democratic governance.

The ECOWAS Communiqué issued post-summit reinforced the organisation’s commitment to upholding peace, security, and the rule of law in Guinea-Bissau. Leaders agreed to closely monitor the situation and support all efforts aimed at returning the country to civilian administration.

President Bio affirmed that ECOWAS will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure a peaceful resolution and the complete restoration of constitutional order.