On 4 December, Guinea-Bissau’s Military High Command dissolved the Superior Council of the Judiciary as part of measures adopted following the 26 November coup. The junta justified the move as necessary to restore public order during the transition and, the following day,  appointed a new public prosecutor with expanded powers. The dissolution removed a key institutional safeguard for judicial independence at a time when the constitution remains suspended and executive authority is concentrated in military hands, raising concerns about political interference in the administration of justice during the transition period.

Sources: O Democrata GB, International Crisis Group, Reuters, Africa News, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA

On 4 December, Guinea-Bissau’s Military High Command adopted and published a transitional charter outlining a one-year transition back to constitutional order following the 26 November coup that suspended the presidential election held on 23 November. The charter foresees presidential and legislative elections at the end of the transition, bars the interim president and prime minister from contesting them, establishes a 65-member National Transition Council—including senior military officers—as a legislative body. The framework also mandates wide-ranging legal and institutional reforms, including revisions to the suspended constitution and the appointment of new electoral officials. On 14 December, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS rejected the transition plan, called for a swift return to constitutional order, and warned it would impose targeted sanctions on those obstructing the process, raising uncertainty over the credibility, inclusiveness and timeline of the proposed transition

Sources: O Democrata GB, International Crisis Group, Reuters, Africa News, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA

On 26 November, military officers seized power in Guinea-Bissau, suspending the electoral process one day before results were due in the contested 23 November election, in which both President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory. Soldiers appeared on state television announcing Embaló’s removal, imposed border closures and a night-time curfew. The electoral commission was taken over, and the country—already without a sitting parliament since its dissolution in December 2023—was placed under a High Military Command. General Horta N’Tam was sworn in as transitional president for a one-year period. Embaló later left the country while opposition figures were arrested and several party headquarters reportedly raided. Opposition figures and regional actors questioned whether Embaló was the victim of the takeover, alleging it was staged to halt the electoral process and retain influence over power. The junta subsequently appointed a new government comprising mostly civilians alongside several senior military officers. ECOWAS and the AU both suspended Guinea-Bissau.

Update: On 2 December, Guinea-Bissau’s National Electoral Commission stated that most vote tally sheets and electronic systems from the 23 November election had been destroyed during the coup, rendering it unable to publish final results. On 23 December, the military authorities released six detained opposition figures, while key opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira remained in custody.

Sources: Jornal O Democrata Guiné-Bissau, International Crisis Group, Jeune Afrique, Africa Confidential, The Conversation, AP News, International IDEA, Jurist News, Barron’s

Authorities in Guinea-Bissau announced the arrest of several senior military officers, including Brigadier General Dahaba Na Walna and two commanders, over an alleged coup attempt aimed at disrupting the 23 November general elections. The arrests were made on 31 October, a day before the official campaign launch, in what Deputy Chief of Staff General Mamadu Turé described as a plot to subvert constitutional order. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who faces a second-term bid amid controversy over his mandate and the exclusion of the main opposition PAIGC (Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde), said ‘everything is under control.’ According to country experts, the coup plot underscores political tensions, military fractures and concerns over electoral legitimacy, especially following Embaló’s expulsion of an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission earlier this year. This is the third known coup attempt against Embaló, following similar events in 2022 and 2023—both of which led him to dissolve parliament.

Sources: International IDEA, Jornal O Democrata Guiné-Bissau, Institute for Security Studies – Africa, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Jeune Afrique

On 25 September, Guinea-Bissau’s Supreme Court of Justice barred three radio stations—Rádio Capital FM, Rádio Voz de Quelelé, and Rádio Galáxia de Pindjiguiti—from covering a press conference held at its headquarters. The event was convened to explain the Court’s controversial decision to reject the candidacy of the PAI–Terra Ranka coalition in the 23 November elections. Journalists from the three stations were initially admitted but later singled out and ordered to leave by a court staffer without explanation. Press freedom groups, including the Media Foundation for West Africa and the Guinean League for Human Rights (LGDH), condemned the move as ‘arbitrary’ and ‘unprecedented’, warning it silences journalists and undermines citizens’ right to free, plural, and transparent information during a critical electoral period. The national journalists’ union (SINJOTECS) called the decision a violation of the right to information. Civil society actors have urged the Court to explain its actions and guarantee equal access to public information for all media.

Sources: The Media Foundation for West Africa, Guinean League for Human Rights (1), Guinean League for Human Rights (2), Deutsche Welle