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Statement

Demanding Democracy and Ending the Coup in Guinea‑Bissau

Published December 18, 2025

Goal: Promote democracy and rights.

The EU Parliament’s resolution declares the Guinea‑Bissau coup illegal, demands an immediate return to democracy, the release of political prisoners, an end to violence, and the publication of the real election results.

EU Parliament says the coup in Guinea‑Bissau is a crime and demands that democracy be restored

On 23 Nov 2025 Guinea‑Bissau held elections, but the main opposition party (PAIGC) was prevented from running.
On 26 Nov 2025 a military group led by General Horta N’Tam seized the government, stopped the vote, and announced that the election results would not be released. The military’s leader is linked to the sitting president, Embaló, and there are serious claims that the coup was meant to keep him from losing the vote.

The military crackdown has been harsh.
– At least 18 people (including government officials, judges and opposition leaders) were taken away without any legal help.
– Protesters who demanded the election results were beaten or arrested.
– The president’s rival, Fernando Dias da Costa, had to hide in the Nigerian embassy, while President Embaló was allowed to leave the country.

Because of the coup, Guinea‑Bissau has been suspended from the African Union, the Community of Portuguese‑speaking Countries and the Economic Community of West African States.

EU Parliament’s demands

  1. Immediately end the coup and restore the normal democratic order and the election.
  2. Stop the violence. The military must not beat or imprison people. An independent probe should find those who broke human‑rights rules and punish them.
  3. Free all political prisoners – the names given are Domingos Simões Pereira, Octávio Lopes, Marciano Indi, Roberto Mbesba, and anyone else held without trial.
  4. End the repression of activists, journalists and civil‑society groups and allow independent media to work freely.
  5. Publish the true election results without military interference.
  6. Start an inclusive dialogue between all parties, with help from regional partners, to rebuild democracy and rule of law.
  7. Re‑examine EU aid so that it does not strengthen the junta; give more support to democratic groups.
  8. Consider sanctions against those who carried out the coup and committed human‑rights abuses.
  9. The EU will forward this resolution to the EU Council, the European Commission, Guinea‑Bissau’s authorities, regional bodies, the Community of Portuguese‑speaking Countries and the United Nations.

The resolution is a clear statement that the coup is illegal, the people must be released, democracy must be restored, and those responsible will be held accountable.

Licensing: The summaries on this page are available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

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