from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – ALLEGATIONS that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is interfering in Guinea-Bissau’s internal affairs have inflamed tensions between the regional body and the member state.
The National Campaign Committee of former presidential candidate and self-proclaimed winner of the elections, Fernando Dias da Costa, on Monday alleged “unacceptable interference” over remarks attributed to the head of the recent ECOWAS mission to the restive country.
Nigeria-headquartered ECOWAS swiftly responded on the same evening the allegations were made.
“The commission wishes to underscore, at the outset, that the Head of Mission was speaking on behalf of ECOWAS in the discharge of a collective mandate, and not in any national capacity,” it stated.
ECOWAS noted that the recent mission was deployed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government to promote peace, constitutional order and stability, and did not announce or validate any constitutional processes, but only communicated a political roadmap discussed with national authorities.
“The commission therefore regrets attempts to portray the work of an ECOWAS Mission as foreign interference,” it stated.
“Such characterisations overlook both the multilateral nature of the mission and the collective decisions of the Authority of Heads of State and Government that underpin its mandate.”
Auta Ibrahim, a commentator on West African politics, said the incident highlighted several points of friction, including perceptions of sovereignty and contested political narratives.
He argued that da Costa’s committee had challenged the legitimacy of the regional body’s mediation efforts, reflecting a broader sensitivity among some politicians regarding the role of international organisations in the country’s post-coup transition.
Da Costa and the incumbent both declared themselves winners of the November 2025 elections before the military stepped in.
Ibrahim said the allegations of interference and the ECOWAS response underscored the tension between its mission to ensure constitutional order and the desire of local political figures to manage the transition without what they perceived as foreign oversight.
“Overall, this episode is indicative of the brittle political climate in Guinea-Bissau, where international efforts to facilitate a stable transition are frequently met with cynicism or resistance from domestic political players,” Ibrahim told CAJ News Africa.
Relations between ECOWAS and Guinea-Bissau have been strained since the coup. The country was, and remains, suspended.
Tensions peaked in December when the military leadership requested the withdrawal of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission and cancelled planned diplomatic visits.
The transitional authorities took steps to ease relations at the beginning of 2026 and withdrew the request.
ECOWAS is pressing for a time-bound transition and the holding of credible, inclusive elections.
It advocates an inclusive transitional government that incorporates various political stakeholders.
The military administration of General Horta Nta Na Man proposed a one-year transition, but ECOWAS has urged a shorter timeframe.
Despite elections being scheduled for December, progress on the roadmap faces several hindrances, including political repression, the detention of opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira and economic problems.
Ibrahim argued that while the official timetable remained in place for December 2026, the environment was far from fully stable.
“The success of this roadmap is highly contingent on the junta’s willingness to allow a genuinely inclusive political process and the international community’s ability to navigate the current climate of distrust and political tension,” he said.
Guinea-Bissau is a country of more than 2,29 million people. Since independence from Portugal in 1974, its political landscape has been marked by multiple coups and periods of military intervention.
– CAJ News