Political commentary in Guinea-Bissau reveals that the military junta’s decision to block exiled former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from returning to the country stems directly from an internal power struggle and the disarming of his personal militias.
Guinea-Bissau civil activist Yussef Gomes emphasises that power in the nation currently rests at the “tip of the rifle.” According to Gomes, the ruling military junta and Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té realised that allowing Embaló back from exile in Morocco posed a direct existential threat to their own survival. To cement their position, the military high command systematically disarmed Embaló’s loyalist militia forces, effectively severing his political leverage on the ground.
While Embaló sought to return to Bissau to contest the upcoming presidential election set for December 6, 2026, political analysts stress that genuine democratic activity in the country has been completely suspended under the military regime. Mainstream political parties remain suppressed, leaving upcoming polls widely viewed as a staged exercise by the junta to formalize its grip on power.
–ChannelAfrica–
