Unrest in West Africa | Guinea-Bissau coup | President toppled by his own top military aide

Guinea-Bissau President and senior military officers were arrested as part of a coup d’état, which occurred a day before the results of the general election held on 23 November, in which President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, was running for reelection, were expected to be officially announced. The president was toppled by his own top military aide, Dinis Incanha.

Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, has a long history of political instability, with no elected president completing a full five-year term since independence. The newly appointed Prime Minister is Ilidio Vieira Te.

The coup was unanimously condemned by the UN, African Union, ECOWAS, and other international partners. It jeopardizes international aid and security cooperation, isolating the coastal country and potentially exacerbating its economic and humanitarian challenges. ECOWAS has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies until constitutional order is restored.

West Africa suffered a cluster of coups in the early 2020s (Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger). The recent coup in Guinea-Bissau adds to this pattern, testing regional bodies’ ability to respond consistently. The new coup further weakens ECOWAS, which has struggled to restore constitutional order. It raises fears of more destabilization in a region already battling jihadist insurgencies and political crises.