Guinea-Bissau opposition calls for talks with military leadership

Guinea-Bissau’s two main opposition parties have called for dialogue with the country’s military authorities, as reported by Africa News and agencies on March 2nd.

The appeal was issued in response to the growing instability following the November 2025 military coup, which removed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from power and suspended elections.

Following the coup, which installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as an interim President, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a West African trading bloc, threatened to impose sanctions and deploy troops.

Similarly, the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau’s membership, saying it had “zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government.”

In December 2025, Guinea-Bissau’s ruling military council approved a transitional charter that bars the interim president and prime minister from taking part in the next national elections.

The charter sets out provisions for presidential and parliamentary polls at the end of the transition period and assigns responsibility for setting the date to the interim president.

A new date for presidential and legislative elections has been set for December 6th, 2026; the military junta government will remain in power until then.

Opposition leaders, including figures from the main party coalition led by Domingos Simões Pereira, urged the armed forces to open discussions to resolve the current political situation.

They said that dialogue was necessary to restore stability and address the crisis in government following the coup. The military has governed the country since seizing power, and political uncertainty has persisted since then.

The call follows a rejected offer from the military authorities to allow opposition politicians to participate in a transitional administration.

They stated that they would not join a government established after the takeover, as it was symbolic and did not address the country’s wider issues. The latest statement instead calls for talks between political actors and the military leadership.

There are also growing calls from outside of Guinea-Bissau for a transition away from military rule. ECOWAS has urged restraint and called for a swift return to civilian rule amid tensions over the country’s political future.

Furthermore, under the guise of protecting national security, the military junta has enacted press restrictions which ban unauthorised press conferences and public statements.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org