BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) 鈥� A delegation from the West African regional bloc made no headway in talks Monday with coup leaders in Guinea-Bissau, but said at the end of its visit that discussions would continue later this month.
The ECOWAS mission, led by its chairman, President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, came to Guinea-Bissau to appeal to the military 鈥� which seized power last Wednesday 鈥� for a 鈥渃omplete restoration of constitutional order.鈥�
The coup came three days after a which the two main contenders claim to have won.
Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba described the discussions as 鈥渇ruitful鈥� and said both sides “expressed their different concerns.” The ECOWAS chairman condemned the coup while the military said it was necessary to 鈥渢o restore order and security.鈥�
Jo茫o Bernardo Vieira, Guinea-Bissau’s new foreign minister, said the military and ECOWAS would continue discussions on Dec. 14.
The day after the coup, ECOWAS said it suspended from its decision-making bodies and said its mediation team would travel to Bissau to 鈥渆ngage the leaders of the coup with a view to ensuring the full restoration of constitutional order.鈥�
The bloc also said it 鈥渞eserves the right to use all options鈥� allowed under its rules, 鈥渋ncluding sanctions on all entities deemed culpable of disrupting the electoral and democratic process.鈥�
Leonardo Sim茫o, the U.N. representative for West Africa, told reporters the ECOWAS delegation would report to the 鈥渉eads of state, who will then make a decision鈥� about next steps.
The ECOWAS delegation met with Guinea-Bissau’s National Electoral Commission, which indicated it could not publish election results 鈥渂ecause it had not received the complete polling station report,鈥� Sim茫o said.
During the coup, Guinea-Bissau鈥檚 President told French media by phone that he had been deposed and arrested. Embalo has since fled to the Republic of Congo鈥檚 capital Brazzaville.
Guinea-Bissau鈥檚 military has installed former army chief of staff Gen. Horta Inta-a as the head of the military government, which will oversee a one-year transition period. On Saturday, Inta-a appointed a new 28-member government, most of whom are allies of the ousted president.
Meanwhile, Nigeria said its President Bola Tinubu has granted protection for Guinea-Bissau opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa in response to an 鈥漣mminent threat to his life.鈥�
According to a letter to ECOWAS from Nigeria on Sunday, Dias da Costa is at the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau, the country’s capital. The letter requested ECOWAS troops provide security.
U.N. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres has expressed grave concern over the events in Guinea-Bissau and condemned the coup. In a statement, Guterres said that disregarding 鈥渢he will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the Nov. 23 general elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles.鈥�
He called for the 鈥渋mmediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order,鈥� as well as the release of all detained officials, including electoral authorities, opposition leaders and other political actors.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world鈥檚 poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, . The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say has fueled its political crises.
Widely seen as West Africa鈥檚 leading political and regional authority, the 15-nation ECOWAS was formed in 1975 to promote economic integration among member states. The bloc often collaborates with members鈥� governments to solve domestic challenges on various fronts from politics to economics and security. It has struggled in recent years to reverse in the region where citizens have complained of .
___
Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the name of Sierra Leone’s foreign minister is Timothy Musa Kabba.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
