Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers have imposed a sweeping ban on protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The announcement, issued late Sunday, prohibits all demonstrations, industrial actions and any activities deemed a threat to peace and stability. It comes in the wake of last week’s coup, which regional leaders have condemned as a “sham” seizure of power, and follows large weekend protests in Bissau demanding the release of detained opposition figures and the publication of presidential election results.

The directive ordered all ministries, state institutions and public offices to reopen immediately, even as tensions remain high in the capital. Hundreds of protesters, mostly young people, had taken to the streets on Saturday, calling for transparency and urging international pressure on the military government. Meanwhile, ECOWAS presidents from Togo, Cape Verde and Senegal, alongside the bloc’s Commission president, were expected in Bissau on Monday to push the junta to restore constitutional order and release withheld election returns. ECOWAS has warned that sanctions may follow if electoral processes continue to be obstructed.

Interim president Major-General Horta Inta-a, installed by the coup leaders, defended the takeover as a necessary step to prevent what he described as a plot by “narcotraffickers” to capture the state. He pledged a one-year transition period, but many fear the coup deepens Guinea-Bissau’s long-standing instability as a major cocaine transit hub with a history of military interference. Can ECOWAS pressure persuade the junta to reverse course and return the country to democratic rule? Visit www.jocomms.com for more news