ECOWAS Parliament Deadlocked on Guinea-Bissau Coup

ECOWAS parliamentarians failed on Wednesday, December 3, to reach a unified stance on the recent military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, ending hours of deliberation in a stalemate that exposed deep divisions over how the regional bloc should confront democratic backsliding across West Africa.

The extraordinary session in Abuja was convened after gunfire rocked Bissau on November 26, culminating in what several MPs described as an unconstitutional change of government. But despite calls for urgent collective action, debate fractured over causes, responsibilities, and next steps.

Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante of Nigeria, presenting the committee’s investigative report, said members received conflicting accounts of the election, the disqualification of an opposition candidate, and competing claims of victory, which intensified tensions ahead of the unrest.

He warned that democracy in the region was “gradually heading southwards” and urged Parliament not to ignore emerging early-warning signs.

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Ghanaian MP Laadi Ayii Ayamba criticised ECOWAS for repeatedly “massaging and managing” crises instead of intervening when warning signs appeared, arguing that the bloc risked entrenching instability by acting only after coups occurred.

Other legislators, including Nigeria’s Senator Osita Izunaso, called for an unequivocal condemnation of the takeover and demanded that Guinea-Bissau’s National Electoral Commission release the contested electoral results.

Despite the forceful appeals, MPs failed to reach a consensus. Some pressed for ECOMOG deployment, others for negotiated political solutions, and many insisted the bloc must investigate systemic governance failures across member states.

The sharpest criticism, however, came from Liberian MP Moima Briggs Mensah, who accused the Parliament of being too soft, too diplomatic, and unwilling to confront deeper structural issues that repeatedly trigger coups.

“I get frustrated when people are condemning,” she told journalists after the session. “Before I condemn you, I should know what caused the problem. We don’t condemn leaders who change their constitutions to stay in power, but we rush to condemn a coup. Parliament has become too compromised, too friendly, too afraid to speak the truth.”

She warned that ECOWAS’ credibility was eroding and urged lawmakers to adopt a tougher, more honest posture: “We must have the political will. Put every country on the table in a war-room. Know the issues, confront them, stop being soft. What are we even condemning if we don’t listen to the people?” she said.

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Her remarks underscored broader frustrations within the bloc as it struggles to contain a surge of coups in West Africa, including recent takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

By the close of the session, no resolution was adopted, leaving ECOWAS without a clear roadmap on Guinea-Bissau and deepening concerns about the bloc’s ability to respond decisively to political instability within its ranks.