A coalition of eminent Africans has urged ECOWAS to release Guinea-Bissau’s election results and halt military interference threatening democracy.

A coalition of 20 eminent African statesmen, academics, civil society leaders and former senior ECOWAS officials has called for the immediate release of Guinea-Bissau’s 23 November presidential and legislative election results, warning that the country’s fragile democracy is at risk following military interference in the electoral process.

In a strongly worded joint statement titled “Restoring Constitutional Order and the Rule of Law in Guinea-Bissau,” the group urged ECOWAS to take decisive action, stating that the regional bloc must “demand the truth, protect the winner and request the freeing of political actors being detained by the military junta.”

The signatories, including former Cabo Verdean President Pedro Pires, ex-Foreign Minister José Brito, and prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), said their intervention was prompted by the National Electoral Commission’s (CNE) admission that it could not continue compiling results due to pressure from security forces.

According to the statement, the CNE reported that the military had stormed its headquarters, destroyed or confiscated electoral documents, and taken away data necessary for announcing the final tally from the country’s eight regions. The group described the intrusion as “a desperate attempt to destroy the archives” and derail the electoral process.

The eminent Africans condemned what they described as a “staged coup” led by military officers aligned with outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was seeking re-election. They labelled Embaló’s arrest by the military as “comic”, noting that he appeared unusually eager to announce to the world that he had been deposed before fleeing the country.

“We are shocked by this brutal intrusion of the army aiming to interrupt an electoral process to which citizens of Guinea-Bissau… held high hopes,” the statement read.

Embaló, initially evacuated to Dakar by Senegalese President Diomaye Faye, reportedly left Senegal after criticism from Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who dismissed the event as a “sham coup”. Latest reports indicate that Embaló has relocated to Morocco after a brief stay in Congo-Brazzaville and is allegedly preparing a return to reclaim power with support from loyalist military elements.

The group urged ECOWAS leaders, who are scheduled to meet on 14 December, to take “a bold move” to address the crisis and restore constitutional rule in one of West Africa’s most politically volatile states. They also welcomed the bloc’s decision to dispatch a fact-finding mission led by its current chair, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.

Beyond ECOWAS, the statement called for urgent action from the African Union, the United Nations and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), noting that Guinea-Bissau’s instability threatens a region already grappling with severe political and security challenges.

The group insisted that it is not too late to salvage the country’s democratic aspirations, asserting that copies of the election tallies still exist and can be published “with coordinated international pressure.”

“As active members of civil society from across Africa, we cannot keep quiet in the face of such blatant violations,” the signatories said, warning that accepting military interference would send a dangerous message that power in West Africa belongs only to the strongest.

They encouraged Africans and the global community to reject the “undemocratic manoeuvres” in Guinea-Bissau and to support the country in concluding its electoral process and building durable democratic institutions.

The joint statement was endorsed by notable figures across the continent, including:

·Pedro Pires, Former President of Cabo Verde

·José Brito, Former Foreign Minister, Cabo Verde

·Dr Abass Bundu, Former Executive Secretary, ECOWAS

·Ambassador Luis Fonseca, Former Secretary-General, CPLP

·Barr Femi Falana (SAN), Human Rights Activist

·Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, CDD-Nigeria

·Dr Kojo Asante, CDD-Ghana

·Human Rights Lawyer Fatou Jagne Senghore

·Prof Mahmoud Mamdani

·Prof Kwame Karikari

·Dr Alioune Tine

·Dr Gilles Yabi

·And 8 others across academia, media, diplomacy and civil society. (Arise News)

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