ECOWAS has pulled out their mission in Guinea Bissau after heated confrontations in the country, according to their team. The ECOWAS team were in Guinea Bissau to help draft a consensus for a proposed election in the country, following postponed elections which had created tensions amongst various factions in the country.
President Embalo of the Guinea-Bissau Anatomy was elected as President in December 2019 for a five year term. There were supposed to be elections in 2024 but President Embalo postponed the elections in 2024 to 30th November 2025. The postponement was questioned and opposed by the opposition since President Embalo had surpassed his first term. The case was taken to court but his first term was extended to September 2025. The opposition party; African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, had a majority of 54 out of 102 seats in the June 2023 parliamentary elections. However, the parliament was dissolved following alleged plots by the opposition according to President Embalo, in staging a coup, upon his return from the COP 28 Conference.
The ECOWAS team that had been deployed in Guinea-Bissau to help reach a consensus with President Embalo on when the elections should be held, have suspended their plan. The team in the first week of March 2025, left Guinea Bissau, stating having being threatened by President Embalo.
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