AU suspension of Guinea Bissau deepens pressure on juntas in West Africa

Tuesday 2nd December 2025

by inAfrika Newsroom

AU suspension of Guinea Bissau took effect over the weekend after the bloc’s Peace and Security Council condemned a November 26 military coup in the country. The council’s emergency communiqué, adopted on November 28, ordered Guinea Bissau’s immediate suspension from all African Union activities until constitutional order returns.

The move follows a pattern seen in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger, where soldiers also seized power in recent years. AU leaders say they maintain “zero tolerance” for unconstitutional changes of government under core continental norms, including the Lomé Declaration and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

Guinea Bissau’s latest crisis erupted just days after a tense election period. Military leaders claimed they acted to prevent alleged destabilisation and fraud. However, regional and international observers reject that justification and instead view the takeover as a direct assault on civilian rule.

President Umaro Sissoco Embaló left the country for neighbouring Senegal soon after the coup. Meanwhile, ECOWAS has begun its own consultations and may consider targeted sanctions if talks fail.

Why it matters for AU suspension of Guinea Bissau

AU suspension of Guinea Bissau sends another signal that continental bodies want to stem the recent wave of coups. Repeated military takeovers risk normalising force as a route to power, undermining decades of investment in elections, courts and parliaments.

The decision also matters for ordinary citizens. Suspension can delay development funds, training missions and peace-support programmes. Yet many activists argue that firm pressure is necessary to secure a credible return to democracy.

For West Africa’s wider security, every new coup complicates efforts to fight jihadist groups, tackle trafficking and stabilise borders. Therefore, how AU and ECOWAS handle Guinea Bissau will influence future responses elsewhere. The key question now is whether combined diplomatic, economic and legal tools can persuade the soldiers to step aside.