Nigeria has granted protection to Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Fernando Díaz da Costa, citing an “imminent threat to life.”
Published December 1, 2025
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Guinea-Bissau for mediation talks with the leaders of last week’s coup, amid mounting regional pressure on military leaders who seized power after a disputed election.
The mission, led by ECOWAS President and Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, visited Guinea-Bissau on Monday and appealed to military authorities for a “full restoration of constitutional order.”
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The military tightened domestic regulations and banned all demonstrations and strikes.
“We had a very fruitful discussion today,” said Timothy Moussa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone. “Both sides have expressed different concerns.”
Guinea-Bissau’s newly appointed foreign minister, João Bernardo Vieira, said it was “very clearly established” that ECOWAS would not leave the country “at this difficult time”.
“The transitional authorities and the military will continue to hold discussions,” he said.
The coup occurred three days after a close presidential election in which both the main candidates, incumbent President Umaro Sissoko Embalo, and opposition candidate Fernando Díaz da Costa declared victory before preliminary results were announced. No results have been published since then.
During the takeover, Embarro told French media by phone that he had been fired and arrested. He then fled to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.
Guinea-Bissau military officials have appointed former army chief of staff General Horta Inta A to lead a one-year transitional government. On Saturday, Intera appointed a new 28-member cabinet made up mostly of supporters of the ousted president.
Meanwhile, Nigeria announced that President Bola Tinubu had granted protection to opposition leader Díaz da Costa, citing “imminent threat to life.”
According to a letter sent by Nigeria’s foreign minister to ECOWAS, Díaz da Costa is currently at the Nigerian embassy in Bissau. The letter requested the deployment of ECOWAS troops to ensure the safety of opposition candidates.
Separately, the main opposition party, the African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), said in a statement that its headquarters in the capital had been “illegally invaded by heavily armed paramilitary groups”.
The party has been barred from fielding a presidential candidate in the Nov. 23 election, a move criticized by civil rights groups as part of a broader crackdown on opponents.
ECOWAS, widely seen as West Africa’s main political and regional authority with 15 member states, reacted to the coup by suspending Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making bodies “until full and effective constitutional order is restored in the country.”
International condemnation continues to mount, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressing grave concern and condemning the military takeover, warning that “ignoring the will of the people who voted peacefully in the November 23 general election is an unacceptable violation of democratic principles.”
Guterres called for the “immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order” and the release of all detained officials, including election officials and opposition figures.
