The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has called on Guinea-Bissau's military-led government to unconditionally release all detained opposition figures, saying their freedom would strengthen the credibility of the country's ongoing political transition. Among those imprisoned is former prime minister Domingos Simões Pereira, who was re-arrested earlier this month on charges of economic crimes and alleged involvement in a coup attempt in October 2025 — accusations he denies. Guinea-Bissau's military seized power in November last year, ousting President Umaro Sissoco Embalo just one day before election results were due to be announced, the latest episode of instability in a country that has seen only one president complete a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974.