The African Union has halted Guinea-Bissau’s participation in all its organs after a military faction removed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo from office, prompting yet another political rupture in the coup-prone region of West Africa.

Following an emergency meeting on Friday, the AU Peace and Security Council announced on Saturday that it had “immediately suspended the country from all AU activities until constitutional order is restored,” denouncing the takeover as an assault on democratic norms. In its statement, the Council said it “strongly condemned the Nov. 26 military coup in Guinea-Bissau, rejecting it as an unconstitutional change of government in violation of AU norms.”

The suspension comes days after a group of officers, calling themselves the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order, claimed to have seized control of the state. The military intervened as rival candidates, independent contender Fernando Dias and the incumbent president, asserted victory in the November 23 presidential election before official results were published.

Embalo was detained briefly after the coup before being released, and has since fled to Senegal.

On Thursday, the self-declared High Military Command named Gen. Horta Inta-A as transitional leader for a one-year period, as uncertainty hangs over the unfinished electoral process.

AU Demands Compliance

The AU has demanded the “unconditional release” of electoral officials and political figures in custody and urged the junta to permit the official vote count to proceed, emphasising that the country must respect “the will of the people.”

Wider condemnation followed swiftly. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the military takeover as a breach of democratic principles, and the regional bloc ECOWAS responded by suspending Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies. The AU said it endorsed ECOWAS' stance and warned of “targeted sanctions if the junta continues interfering in political processes.”

The AU has instructed its Commission to intensify coordination with ECOWAS, bolster stabilization measures, protect election observers, and create a monitoring mechanism to follow the unfolding situation.

A delegation of West African leaders, the presidents of Senegal, Cape Verde, and Sierra Leone, is expected to arrive in Bissau this weekend to press for a rapid return to constitutional rule.

Read more: Senegal PM calls Guinea-Bissau coup 'sham', Embaló arrives in Senegal