ECOWAS Visits Guinea-Bissau Crisis After Military Coup

A necessary assertion of authority, or crisis-management theater facilitating neo-colonial interests?
ECOWAS Visits Guinea-Bissau Crisis After Military Coup
Above: Soldiers patrolling a street near the scene of gunfire in Bissau on Nov. 26, 2025. Image credit: Patrick Meinhardt/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

ECOWAS’s mission in Guinea-Bissau represents a necessary assertion of regional authority at a moment when coups threaten to unravel West Africa’s political order. By suspending the country, demanding the release of detained officials, and pushing for a return to constitutional rule, the bloc signals that armed takeovers will not be rewarded. ECOWAS should now press the coup leaders to publish the election results, so as to ensure a credible path back to constitutional governance.

Establishment-critical narrative

ECOWAS’s mission looks less like real conflict resolution and more like crisis-management theater aligned with the Western-shaped networks it has long mirrored. The bloc negotiates with fake coup leaders tied to a former Western-favored broker, performing democratic restoration while preserving the same external loyalties. By condemning disorder yet engaging its architects, ECOWAS acts as a neo-colonial relay where elites rotate but sovereignty barely shifts.

Metaculus Prediction


Editor's Note

This story currently has limited reporting from right-leaning sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.

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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.1

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.1