Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has issued a warning regarding the expulsion of a political mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as reported by the political and economic bloc on Sunday.
Tensions have escalated over the duration of Embalo’s presidential term, which commenced in 2020, raising concerns about potential unrest in a country with a history of military coups.
The political opposition in the small West African nation contends that Embalo’s term should have concluded last week, while the Supreme Court of Justice has determined that it will end on September 4.
Embalo, who served as chair of ECOWAS from mid-2022 to mid-2023, announced on February 23 that presidential and legislative elections would be postponed until November 30.
In a statement released on Sunday, ECOWAS indicated that it had sent a mission from February 21 to 28, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), to facilitate discussions on conducting elections this year.
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However, the statement also noted, “The Mission departed Bissau in the early morning of 1st March, following threats by H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it.”
On Wednesday, Embalo traveled to Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, achieved independence in 1974.
