The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) are deploying a high-level mission to Guinea-Bissau from February 23 to 28, 2025, to mediate the political crisis as opposition parties demand President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s immediate departure.
Led by former Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bagudu Hirse, the mission aims to facilitate consensus on the electoral calendar amid rising tensions.
While Embaló insists on remaining in office until elections in October or November, opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira, argue that his mandate ended on February 7 and are pushing for an interim president by February 27.
The Supreme Court has set Embaló’s official term end for September 4, but political parties reject this timeline.
The ECOWAS-led delegation, supported by UN political advisers and diplomats from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Senegal, will consult key stakeholders on security and governance concerns, with an election announcement deadline looming on March 31.
