The group said their action became necessary after the electoral commission came under military pressure.
As Guinea-Bissau’s post-election tensions escalate, a coalition of influential African civil society leaders has stepped forward, filling what they describe as a dangerous leadership vacuum left by political actors and security forces in the country.
In a rare show of continental solidarity, 20 eminent Africans — including former presidents, ex-ECOWAS officials, human rights advocates and academic figures — issued a joint statement demanding the release of the 23 November election results, while denouncing the military’s disruption of the process.
The statement was signed by 20 eminent Africans, including Pedro Pires, José Brito, Dr Abass Bundu, Ambassador Luis Fonseca, Hajia Halima Ahmed, Dr Olukeshi Adebayo, Dr Kojo Asante, Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, Barr Femi Falana (SAN), Mr Adama Gaye, Prof Kwame Karikari, Prof Mahmoud Mamdani, Dr Alioune Tine, Dr Gilles Yabi, and others.
The group framed its intervention not as political opportunism but as a civic duty in the face of state paralysis. According to them, "ECOWAS must demand the truth (about the elections), protect the winner and request the freeing of the political actors being detained by the military junta."
Their statement, titled "Restoring Constitutional Order and the Rule of Law In Guinea-Bissau," warned that West Africa cannot afford another democratic breakdown.
They urged regional leaders to act decisively, saying: "...taking into account an opinion widely shared in West Africa and throughout the rest of the continent, …we take the liberty to invite the ECOWAS Heads of State, who are meeting in a Summit, on 14th December to make a bold move towards solving the current crisis afflicting one of the most fragile (states) of… the community."
The group said their action became necessary after the electoral commission came under military pressure.
They noted that "the National Electoral Commission, CNE was forced to declare its inability… to continue the compilation of the election results and to announce them."
They added that the commission’s materials were compromised: "It (CNE) said that the military had destroyed and/or taken away the documents and data needed for releasing the election results recorded in Guinea-Bissau’s eight regions, in a desperate attempt to destroy the archives."
For the signatories, this moment represents a test for African democratic resilience. They argued that the situation can still be salvaged, emphasising that "it is not late to salvage the democratic aspirations, based on the tenets of the rule of law in Guinea-Bissau."
They welcomed ECOWAS’ initial response, including a virtual summit and a mission led by President Julius Maada Bio, but stressed that silence from African citizens would be dangerous.
As they put it: "As active members of the civil society from across Africa, we cannot keep quiet in the face of such blatant violations that Guinea-Bissau suffered…"
Their statement expressed alarm that military and political actors might jointly overturn the people’s will, warning: "Accepting that a group of military and political players collude to deprive their compatriots… the right to freely choose their leaders through transparent elections would signal to the whole of West Africa that the only rule… is that of the most powerful."
The group also pointed to unusual developments involving outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, describing what they called the "comic arrest of the outgoing President Embaló, who rushed to inform the whole world, in a suspicious enthusiasm, that he had been deposed, while the army went to the headquarters of the national electoral commission, CNE, where the election results were being compiled for release the next day and took over machines and documents pertaining to the electoral results, arresting officials close to the opposition camp against outgoing president, who was seeking re-election."
They continued: "We are shocked by this brutal intrusion of the army aiming to interrupt an electoral process to which citizens of Guinea-Bissau, Amilcar Cabral's country, held high hopes to the last minute."
The coalition insisted that international bodies like the African Union, United Nations, and CPLP must intervene, noting that West Africa is already "stricken by deep security, economic and political crises."
They also called on ordinary Africans to reject the unfolding events, stating: "We also invite the African public opinion and the rest of the world to express by all legal means their refusal of the undemocratic maneuvers underway in Guinea-Bissau, while paying tribute to the maturity of its people."
Despite the attempted obstruction, the group maintained that the authentic results can be recovered. Citing various sources, they said "copies, even the original versions, of the election tallies have been preserved and it will only take a coordinated international pressure to have them published."
Meanwhile, outgoing President Embaló, initially evacuated to Dakar by Senegal’s President Diomaye Faye, reportedly left Senegal following objections by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who dismissed the Guinea-Bissau events as a "sham."
Embaló is said to have since moved from Congo-Brazzaville to Morocco, and is allegedly planning a return to reclaim political authority.
On November 28, SaharaReporters reported that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced the suspension of Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies after Wednesday’s military coup and takeover of government.
The West African bloc, which announced the suspension of the country in a communique demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional order, threatening sanctions against the junta regime.
The resolution was issued following an Extraordinary Virtual Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the level of Heads of State and Government, chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who is also Chairperson of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
The high-level meeting, convened to assess the escalating political crisis in Guinea-Bissau, brought together regional presidents, foreign ministers, and representatives from the African Union and the United Nations.
ECOWAS condemned “in the strongest terms” the coup d’état of 26 November, insisting that the democratic process must not be derailed.
It rejected “any arrangements that perpetuate the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau.”
ECOWAS demanded that the coup leaders respect the electoral process and allow the National Electoral Commission to immediately declare the official results from the November 23 polls.