Guinea-Bissau’s military government has banned protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level visit by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc, which is seeking to restore constitutional order following last week’s coup.
The military, which seized power in what some West African leaders have termed a “sham” coup, announced late on Sunday that all demonstrations, strikes and activities regarded as threats to peace and stability were prohibited.
The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations.
The announcement followed protests in Bissau on Saturday, where hundreds, primarily youths, demanded the release of detained opposition leaders and the publication of presidential election results.
ECOWAS has warned it may impose sanctions on individuals or groups responsible for disrupting Guinea-Bissau’s electoral and democratic processes.
The interim president, Major-General Horta Inta-a, said the coup was necessary to ward off a plot by “narcotraffickers” to “capture Guinean democracy” and vowed to oversee a transition that would last one year, beginning immediately.
