The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau’s membership just hours after an army general was inaugurated as the country’s president.
The suspension was announced following a virtual meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) on Thursday night, chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio. Participants included senior representatives from Cabo Verde, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, and other member states.
In its statement, the bloc denounced the military takeover as an “illegal interruption of the democratic process” aimed at undermining the popular will. The power shift occurred while officials were still tallying votes from a closely contested presidential election.
The African Union also condemned the coup and is expected to impose its own suspension.
This latest upheaval adds to a growing list of military takeovers in West Africa, where at least six coups have taken place since 2020.
