Following coup in the country, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the decision was reached during an emergency meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC), late Thursday.
In accordance with the provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance 2001 (A/SP/12/01), the body suspended Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country.
The MSC also condemned the coup, calling for the unconditional restoration of constitutional order and rejected any arrangements that subvert the democratic process or the will of the people.
The council also demanded that the military leaders respect the electoral process, allow the National Electoral Commission to declare results without delay, and release all detained officials, including President Umaro Embaló, electoral officials, and other political figures.
The MSC further asked that the coup leaders guarantee the safe passage of international election observers, including those from ECOWAS.
To facilitate this, ECOWAS announced that a high-level mediation mission comprising the President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, President José Neves of Cabo Verde, and President Bassirou Faye of Senegal, accompanied by the President of the ECOWAS Commission will engage the coup leaders.
On Wednesday, a group of army officers in Guinea-Bissau announced the suspension of the country’s electoral process and declared that they were taking control “until further notice.”
The officials, who described themselves as the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” removed Mr Embalo from power, halted the electoral process, closed the country’s borders, and planned to enforce a curfew.
On Thursday, the soldiers swore in a military leader who had served as the Chief of Army Staff, Horta Inta-A, as the transitional President, while Mr Embalo fled to Senegal.
Meanwhile, eleven years after the ECOWAS Heads of Immigration Forum first proposed a unified Biometric Identity Card for citizens of the sub-region, Nigeria has officially become the seventh country to roll out the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC), a modern credential designed to replace the old ECOWAS Travel Certificate and Resident Permit and to enable seamless mobility across member-states.
Unveiling the document in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the new biometric card formed the foundation of a security architecture where no one can hide behind anonymity, stressing that effective national safety begins with accurate identification.
According to him, the ENBIC will help security agencies counter irregular migration, dismantle cross-border crime networks, and strengthen intelligence gathering.