Guinea-Bissau’s opposition has threatened to bring the country to a standstill on Thursday, February 27, in a dispute over the expiration of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s five-year mandate.
The opposition claims Embalo’s term ends on Thursday, while the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that it expires on September 4.
The controversy has heightened tensions over the electoral calendar, risking unrest in a nation with a history of military coups.
Embalo has announced that presidential and legislative elections will not be held until November 30, further fueling the opposition’s anger.
The opposition has vowed to “paralyze the country completely” on Thursday, with the PAI Terra Ranka coalition and the Cabaz Garandi coalition issuing a statement saying, “Bissau will be a dead city.” The West African regional bloc ECOWAS plans to deploy a mission to Guinea-Bissau to resolve the dispute, but the opposition has refused to meet with ECOWAS representatives, accusing the mission of bias.
