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Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Saturday met with Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers to discuss the release of detainees and the country’s transition back to constitutional rule.
The delegation, led by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the current ECOWAS chair, and Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, met members of the junta headed by General Horta N’Tam.
The talks were focused on accelerating progress towards restoring constitutional order, a source close to Guinea-Bissau’s foreign ministry said.
Following the meetings, Bio indicated that the discussions were constructive and stated the need for a short transition overseen by an inclusive government that reflects the country’s political and social diversity.
The release of detainees arrested after the coup was a prominent topic in the talks, Guinea-Bissau officials said.
The military seized power shortly after the country held a presidential election in November, overthrowing then-president Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who was seeking a second term, and suspending the electoral process.
As part of the visit, the ECOWAS leaders met opposition figure Domingos Simões Pereira, who has been held at police headquarters since the coup after being barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the election.
They also visited opposition candidate Fernando Dias, who ran against Embalo and has since taken refuge at Nigeria’s embassy in Bissau, where he was granted asylum.
The junta has already released several opposition figures recently, freeing six associates of Pereira at the end of December and three others last Thursday.
However, a member of the High Military Command said ECOWAS had pressed for the unconditional release of all political detainees, arguing that continued detentions undermine trust and complicate efforts to resolve the crisis.
“The ECOWAS delegations had requested the unconditional release of all political prisoners, arguing that their detention hinders any climate of trust necessary for resolving the crisis,” a member of the junta’s governing body, the High Military Command, told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The authorities prefer a gradual release process and have not committed to a specific timeline. Disagreements also emerged over the length of the transition period.
While the military initially announced it would govern for one year, it now argues that a longer “security period” is required to stabilise the country before elections can be held.
ECOWAS mediators, on the other hand, have been advocating a short, clearly defined, and transparent transition with a firm electoral timetable.
The possibility of deploying an ECOWAS standby force was also discussed, should the situation deteriorate.
However, several sources in Bissau said local authorities view such a move as a threat to national sovereignty.
