President Bola Tinubu on Thursday took part in an emergency virtual summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, convened to urgently address the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Guinea-Bissau following a military coup the previous day.
The extraordinary meeting, held via Zoom, brought together West African leaders who connected remotely from their respective capitals to review the unfolding crisis and discuss a coordinated response.
A photograph released by the State House Media Department showed President Tinubu participating in the high-level session from Abuja.
The chaos in Guinea-Bissau erupted on Wednesday when soldiers reportedly detained President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, seized strategic locations, shut the nation’s borders, and halted ongoing electoral activities. Intense gunfire was said to have echoed around the presidential palace as the mutineers consolidated their hold on power.
By Wednesday night, the military announced that General Horta Nta Na Man had been appointed to lead a one-year transitional government, signalling a swift move toward a junta-backed interim administration.
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Although Tinubu completed his two-term tenure as Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in June 2025—handing over leadership to Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio—his engagement in Thursday’s summit underscores ECOWAS’ continued resolve to push back against destabilizing coups that have swept across parts of West Africa in recent years.
The emergency session reflects the bloc’s mounting concern over the resurgence of unconstitutional power grabs threatening democratic stability across the region.
