By Amin Kef (Ranger)
His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, has on Monday 1 December 2025 held a crucial engagement with the military leadership in Guinea-Bissau as part of regional efforts to ensure the full restoration of constitutional order in the country.
The high-level mission, mandated by an Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, saw President Bio meet with Major-General Horta Inta-a and senior members of the military administration. The discussions formed part of ECOWAS’s coordinated diplomatic interventions aimed at safeguarding democratic governance and stability in the region.
President Bio was accompanied by Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission; Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel; and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba.
During the engagement, President Bio reiterated ECOWAS’s firm and collective resolve to ensure that Guinea-Bissau returns to constitutional rule without delay. He emphasized the Authority’s commitment to dialogue, diplomacy and collaboration with all stakeholders to achieve a peaceful resolution.
“Today, I traveled to Guinea-Bissau to meet with the military leadership regarding the current political situation,” President Bio stated. “As Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, I reaffirmed our strong commitment, as stated in our communiqué from the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, to restore constitutional order.”
As part of the mission, the delegation also held a meeting with Guinea-Bissau’s Electoral Commission. The Commission’s Chairman and members provided an extensive briefing on the current electoral landscape, ongoing challenges and preparations required to support a return to democratic governance.
President Bio assured the Commission of ECOWAS’s readiness to support credible electoral processes and strengthen institutional mechanisms essential for stability and good governance.
The visit underscores ECOWAS’s longstanding principles of promoting peace, security and constitutional order across West Africa. It also reaffirms President Bio’s leadership in steering regional efforts to address political crises through constructive engagement and multilateral cooperation.
The ECOWAS mission is expected to continue its diplomatic processes in the coming days, as regional leaders work collectively to support Guinea-Bissau’s return to democratic normalcy.
