African leaders from ECOWAS met Guinea-Bissau’s junta on Saturday, seeking progress on detainee releases and a swift return to constitutional rule.
The talks unfolded in Bissau under heavy political tension, as mediators pressed for compromise after the military derailed November’s presidential election.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye led the delegation, meeting officials from the new ruling junta.
The junta is headed by General Horta N’Tam, whose forces seized power days after voters went to the polls.
A source close to Guinea-Bissau’s foreign ministry said the discussions aimed to accelerate a transition back to civilian governance.
Bio later described the meetings as constructive, calling for a short, inclusive transition reflecting the country’s political and social diversity.
At the heart of the talks was the fate of political detainees arrested in the aftermath of the coup.
The ECOWAS leaders visited opposition figure Domingos Simões Pereira, who has been held at police headquarters since the military takeover.
They also met Fernando Dias, an opposition candidate now sheltering in Nigeria’s embassy after being granted asylum.
Guinea-Bissau’s junta has freed nine opposition figures in recent weeks, though several prominent critics remain in custody.
A junta official said ECOWAS demanded the unconditional release of all political prisoners to rebuild trust and ease the crisis.
Authorities, however, favour a gradual approach to releases and have offered no clear timetable, the same source said.
The length of any transition also divided negotiators, with the military now arguing a year is insufficient to stabilise the country.
West African mediators continue to push for a short, transparent transition with a clear electoral calendar.
The possible deployment of an ECOWAS standby force was discussed, though local officials reportedly see such a move as a threat to sovereignty.
For now, diplomacy hangs in the humid air of Bissau, where cautious words mask a fragile struggle over power and legitimacy.