‘Total Paralysis’

Guinea Bissau’s opposition called for nationwide strikes Thursday amid a dispute over the expiration of the presidential term of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Agence France-Presse reported.

Embaló was sworn in for a five-year term on Feb. 27, 2020, following a disputed election. The opposition claims that his term was expected to end Thursday, but the country’s supreme court previously ruled that it ends on Sept. 4.

Tensions flared in the West African country earlier this week after Embaló announced that the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections would be postponed to November, according to Africanews.

On Wednesday, the coalition of opposition parties called for “a total paralysis” of the country to protest the vote delay and Embaló’s term extension. The planned strikes were announced despite a ban on gatherings by the interior ministry.

Security forces were deployed at key points across the capital Bissau on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a high-level mission by the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc met leaders of political parties earlier this week to restart political dialogue.

Guinea-Bissau has been mired in political turmoil since December 2023, when Embaló dissolved the opposition-controlled legislature three days after armed clashes that he described as an attempted coup. He initially scheduled early parliamentary elections for November 2024 before postponing them indefinitely, citing logistical and financial concerns.

Amid the ongoing political crisis, Embaló met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, a visit that observers said underscored Russia’s broader efforts to expand its economic and security ties in West and Central Africa, according to Business Insider Africa.