A team from the West African group ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) has left Guinea-Bissau after the country’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, reportedly threatened to kick them out.
The ECOWAS team had arrived last month to help local leaders agree on how and when to hold elections this year. They even prepared a draft plan and began sharing it with different political groups.
However, after President Embalo’s warning, the team left the country early Saturday. ECOWAS says it will now report the situation to its leadership and suggest ways to ensure peaceful and fair elections in Guinea-Bissau.
So far, President Embalo has not commented on ECOWAS’ claims.
Tensions have been rising in Guinea-Bissau over the end of Embalo’s five-year term. The opposition says his presidency should have ended last week. But the country’s Supreme Court ruled that his term will officially end on 4 September.
General elections were originally scheduled for November 2023, but Embalo postponed them. He later announced they would now be held on 30 November 2024. The opposition strongly disagrees with this delay.
Guinea-Bissau has a history of political unrest, with many military coups since it became independent in 1974. There have been two attempts to remove President Embalo, most recently in December 2023. After that, he dissolved the parliament, which was controlled by the opposition.
Last Thursday, opposition groups called for a nationwide strike, claiming Embalo’s term had ended. In response, the government increased security in the capital.
Keep Reading
A day earlier, Embalo had travelled to Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reports say they discussed future cooperation between the two countries.
