Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has threatened to expel a diplomatic mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc confirmed on Sunday. The delegation, sent in collaboration with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), aimed to mediate a political dispute but left the country on March 1 after the president’s warning.
The political standoff centers on the expiration of Embalo’s term, which began in 2020. Opposition groups say his mandate ended last week, while the Supreme Court of Justice ruled it extends until September 4. The disagreement has raised fears of instability in a country with a history of military coups.
Embalo, who chaired ECOWAS from mid-2022 to mid-2023, announced that presidential and legislative elections would not be held until November 30. The delay has intensified tensions, prompting ECOWAS to intervene to help broker an agreement on the electoral process.
The mission, which operated from February 21 to 28, sought to ease the crisis but faced pushback from Embalo’s administration. ECOWAS said its delegation left Bissau early on March 1 after the president’s threat to expel them.
Embalo recently traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, gained independence in 1974.
