The Heads of the African Union Election Observation Mission, ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, and the West African Elders Forum have expressed deep concern on the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces of Guinea-Bissau and emergence of unconstitutional government in the country,
They called on the AU and the ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order even as they urged the citizens to remain calm.
They also demanded the immediate release of top officials arrested by the military junta.
"We express concern of the arrests of top officials including those that are in charge of the electoral process. In this regard, we urge the armed forces to immediately release the detained officials to allow the country's electoral process to proceed to its logical conclusion.
The heads of the missions and forum in joint statement on the Thursday on the Post-Election Situation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, had noted the orderly and peaceful conclusion of the voting process for the presidential and legislative elections held on 23 November 2025 and expressed regrets that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured them of their willingness to accept the will of the people.
The joint statement signed by Filipe Nyusi, former President of Mozambique, Issifu Kamara, and former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, respectively, called on the people of Guinea Bissau to remain calm, "and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting the Country on its democratic path, and in this respect, we underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being Of the Bissau-Guinean people during this sensitive period."
The statement reads in parts; "We, the Heads of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), and the West African Elders Forum note the orderly and peaceful conclusion of the voting process for the presidential and legislative elections held on 23 November 2025 in the Republic of GuineaBissau.
"We commend the people of Guinea-Bissau for their strong civic engagement, as well as the professionalism demonstrated by polling staff, security personnel, presidential candidates' and party agents, throughout the voting process.
Despite these encouraging developments, we express deep concern with the announcement of a coup d'etat by the armed forces, while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results.
"It's regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people.
"We request the African Union and the ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order. We deplore this blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far."