Guinea Bissau

Guinea-Bissau's former prime minister, Domingos Simoes Pereira is planning a return to the country – and a run for the presidency. Simoes Pereira, who leads the opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), made the announcement in Lisbon. He settled in the Portuguese capital shortly after President Embalo dissolved Guinea-Bissau's National Assembly in 2023.  

President Embalo's term in office has officially expired. However, he remains in power and intends to run for re-election in late 2025, if at all. The opposition and civil society are calling it an "institutional coup." 

The opposition in Guinea-Bissau has pledged to bring the nation to a halt on Thursday amid a conflict regarding the expiration date of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo's five-year term. Opposition figures assert that Embalo's mandate concludes on Thursday, while the Supreme Court of Justice in Guinea-Bissau has determined that it actually ends on September 4.

[…] The unexpected announcement could trigger a power vacuum and heighten political instability in the coup-prone country of around two million people.

Guinea-Bissau is becoming increasingly dangerous for critical journalists and opposition figures. A "people's movement" is now daring to rise up against President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Wednesday replaced his prime minister, tasking his replacement with waging war on corruption, after what he described as last month's "attempted coup".

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo dissolved parliament in a decree on Monday that accused the government of passivity in the face of violence last week that he said was an attempted coup.

A coalition of opposition groups in Guinea-Bissau has won a majority of seats in parliament in the first legislative elections since President Umaro Sissoco Embalo dissolved the National People’s Assembly more than a year ago. The five-party Terra Ranka – a coalition led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) – won 54 of 102 seats in Sunday’s polls, ahead of Embalo’s Madem G15 party, which picked up 29.

Guinea-Bissau wants the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to set up a force to fight against coups d´état in the terrorism-hit region.

In June 2022, the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding fund (PBF)’s top donors will discuss strategies for better supporting peacebuilding processes. Following a high-level meeting on peacebuilding financing in April 2022, the gathering will be an opportunity to support countries adversely affected by limited funding, including the so-called “aid orphans.” Guinea-Bissau is one of the most tragic examples, and it illustrates how sparse peacebuilding financing makes them particularly vulnerable.