Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1370th meeting held on 1 October 2026, on the Update on the Situation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 36th Ordinary Session of the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Lomé, Togo, from 10 to 12 July 2000 (the Lomé Declaration); as well as the Solemn Declaration of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU adopted in Addis Ababa on 25 May 2013; and Assembly Declaration [Ext/Assembly/AU/Decl. (XVI)] on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 16th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 27 to 28 May 2022;

Making reference to its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Guinea-Bissau, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1347.2(2026)] adopted at its 1347th meeting held on 18 May 2026 and Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1333 (2026)] adopted at its 1333rd meeting held on 5 March 2026;

Reaffirming the AU zero-tolerance policy on unconstitutional changes of government and the AU commitment to ensure the respect of Member States for all AU normative instruments, including the AU Constitutive Act; the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union; and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;

Reiterating the AU’s solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau in their legitimate aspirations for durable peace, democracy, and sustainable development; as well as the AU commitment to continue supporting them in their efforts to ensure a genuine and peaceful political transition leading to the successful restoration of the rule of law and constitutional order;

Taking note of the Opening Remarks by H.E. Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cameroon to the AU as the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of October 2026; the Introductory Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; the briefing by H.E. Patrice Trovoada, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, as the AU Special Envoy for Guinea Bissau; and the statement by Honorable Abdou Kolley, the Permanent Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the AU; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Takes note of the constitutional referendum held in Guinea-Bissau on 30 August 2026, albeit without international observers, while noting with concern the restrictions imposed on campaigns and the boycott by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the largest opposition party in the country and other opposition coalitions, on grounds of incompatibility with ECOWAS standards and requirements;

2. Expresses deep concern over the restrictions on civic and political space in Guinea-Bissau, including the closure of the headquarters of some political parties, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of assembly and expression, which collectively undermine public trust and confidence;

3. Also expresses deep concern over the lack of progress in the investigations into the abduction and murder of political activist Vigário Luís Balanta; and reiterates its request for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners held without trial; expresses concern over the delays in the conduct of the AU-ECOWAS joint technical needs assessment mission and the AU fact-finding mission in implementation of Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1347.2(2026) and, in this regard, requests the AU Commission and ECOWAS to continue with engagements to expedite the mission, preferably ahead of the December 2026 elections;

4. Further expresses deep concern over the current political trajectory in Guinea-Bissau, which threatens the peace and stability of the country; as well as over the unchecked activities of international drug cartels and transnational organized crime networks within the country and, in this regard, appeals to the Transitional Authority of Guinea-Bissau and the neighboring countries to strengthen border governance systems and enhance border cooperation, including immediate resumption of cooperation with regional and international law enforcement agencies, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)  and INTERPOL;

5. Strongly urges the Transitional Authority to guarantee the protection of fundamental freedoms, restore civic and political rights, and also to lift all bans on peaceful political processes, with a view to creating necessary conditions for the successful organization of peaceful, transparent, inclusive and credible elections;

6. Calls for the convening of a pre-election inclusive and genuine national dialogue process, involving all Bissau-Guinean stakeholders, including women and youth to comprehensively address the challenges at hand and foster national reconciliation and social cohesion ahead of the forthcoming   elections, and further calls for the respect of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, particularly Article 25(4);

7. Requests the Transitional Authority to establish a national electoral trust and confidence-building compact, through an inclusive process involving the Bissau-Guinean authorities and all major political parties, with participation of civil society and the National Electoral Commission, with a view to providing practical guarantees for political participation, access to state media, transparent electoral procedures, and a credible process for resolving electoral disputes;

8. Stresses the need to comprehensively address the structural root causes and underlying factors that are driving and fueling the perennial institutional instability in Guinea-Bissau;

9. Reiterates the importance of scaling up the mobilization of financial and technical resources to facilitate the full implementation of comprehensive Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programmes as prerequisites for lasting peace and stability in the country, and strongly urges the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order to commit to ensuring an inclusive transition roadmap that reflects the general will of the people;

10. Mandates the AU Commission to work towards the deployment of long-term AU election observers and of specialized observers to track illicit financial flows ahead of the elections;

11. Urges the authorities to invest resources in strategies that promote economic growth, trade and development, and prioritize the provision of essential public services to the citizens;

12. Appeals to international financial institutions and humanitarian partners to establish targeted, ring-fenced assistance mechanisms to ensure that critical relief, particularly for addressing the ongoing mpox viral disease outbreak, directly reaches the vulnerable populations;

13. Welcomes the sustained constructive engagement between the AU Special Envoy and the Guinea-Bissau authorities;

14. Commends H.E. Ambassador Ovidio Manuel Barbosa Pequeno for his sterling work as the outgoing Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Guinea-Bissau and requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission to expedite the appointment of a new SRCC  to ensure effective presence of the AU representation on the ground and in the same context, requests the Chairperson of the Commission to mobilize sufficient financial, human, material and technical resources for the AU Office in Bissau;

15. Also commends the efforts being deployed by ECOWAS and other international actors such as the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), calls for enhanced coordination of efforts and reiterates the request for the AU Commission to intensify its engagement with the authorities and all other critical stakeholders in Guinea-Bissau;

16. Requests the AU Commission, in cooperation with UNDP, to expeditiously identify and implement possible programmes in Guinea-Bissau that can be supported through the African Facility for Supporting Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT); 

17. Further reiterates its decision to undertake a fact-finding mission to Guinea-Bissau ahead of the elections, as part of the AU’s sustained engagement, to be preceded by an Informal Consultation of Council with the Permanent Representative of Guinea-Bissau to the AU;

18. Emphasizes the importance of remaining vigilant and of closely monitoring the evolution of the situation in Guinea-Bissau with a view to ensuring a genuine civilian-led political transition leading to the restoration of constitutional order;

19. Stresses the need to strengthen collaboration, exchange of information and harmonization of positions and calendars amongst all African-led peace initiatives in Guinea Bissau, including the Senegalese mission; and,

20. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS