Guinea-Bissau’s two main opposition leaders, Domingos Simões Pereira and Fernando Dias, have rejected an offer from the military authorities to join the government, saying they would not “dirty their names” by cooperating with the junta that has ruled the country since a coup last November.
The decision comes days after both men regained their freedom. Pereira was released last Friday after spending two months in detention, while Dias was allowed to leave the Nigerian embassy, where he had sought refuge for several months to avoid persecution by the military authorities.
Following their release, the military leadership offered positions in government to the political movements led by Pereira and Dias, a move widely seen as an attempt to ease tensions and project reconciliation with the opposition.
However, both leaders remain deeply distrustful of the military. Despite his release, Pereira is still under house arrest, even though he has not been subjected to any formal legal process justifying such a restriction.
Dias also questioned the sincerity of the offer, saying it did not come directly from the military authorities but was instead announced through a statement by the regional bloc ECOWAS. ECOWAS has been pressuring Guinea-Bissau’s new rulers to ease repression of the opposition and uphold constitutional order.
The proposal itself has drawn criticism for lacking substance. Under the offer, the opposition movements would receive three government posts and ten seats in the National Transitional Council — a share their leaders argue is purely symbolic and insufficient to give them any real political influence.
For now, both Pereira and Dias appear determined to remain outside a government they view as illegitimate, signalling continued political uncertainty in Guinea-Bissau.
