ECOWAS Mission Exits Guinea-Bissau After President Umaro’s Threats of Expulsion Amid His Bid to Illegally Retain Power

A joint mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations, sent to Guinea-Bissau to facilitate dialogue ahead of the country’s 2025 elections, has abruptly been forced to leave under the threat of expulsion by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

Embalo, who headed ECOWAS from mid-2022 to mid-2023, had earlier said on February 23 that presidential and legislative elections would not be held until November 30. The opposition has pointed that Embalo‘s term should have expired last week, while the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that it ends on September 4.

According to a statement signed by Bagudu Hirse, the head of the mission, the delegation was forced to leave on March 1 after preparing a draft agreement on holding legislative and presidential elections in the country.

Tensions rose after President Embalo, who was on a foreign trip, threatened to expel the mediators, forcing the delegation to leave the country unexpectedly. The Guinea-Bissau presidency has not publicly responded to the incident, leaving uncertainty over the country’s future political dialogue.

The move marks a significant escalation in tensions between Guinea-Bissau and ECOWAS, which has been struggling to maintain its influence in West Africa amid growing resistance from member states.

Recall that the regional bloc already saw the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, now finds itself at odds with another government in the region.

While the bloc has previously imposed sanctions and even considered military interventions in cases of political instability, it remains uncertain whether it will take similar action against Guinea-Bissau.

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