GUINEA BISSAU RECIEVES TARGETED SANCTIONS THREAT FROM ECOWAS OVER COUP

Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS has warned it will impose targeted sanctions on individuals or groups obstructing Guinea-Bissau’s transition back to civilian rule following last month’s coup. The threat was announced at a regional summit in Abuja, where leaders also discussed a failed coup attempt in Benin.

ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray said the bloc’s peacekeeping force in Guinea-Bissau is authorised to protect political leaders and national institutions. The summit condemned both coup attempts and reaffirmed support for constitutional order.

In response to the failed Benin putsch, Nigeria, alongside Côte d’Ivoire, deployed jets and troops, with additional forces expected from Ghana and Sierra Leone. The developments have heightened concern within ECOWAS, which has faced multiple coups across the region since 2020.