Flags of ECOWAS member states line the venue during the 68th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on December 14, 2025. LIGHT ORIYE TAMUNOTONYE / AFP

The Economic Community of West African States has warned it will impose targeted sanctions on individuals or groups obstructing Guinea-Bissau’s return to civilian rule following last month’s military coup.

The warning was issued on Sunday at the end of a bi-annual ECOWAS summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, where regional leaders expressed deep concern over renewed threats to democratic governance in West Africa.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray said the regional bloc would not tolerate actions capable of derailing the transition process in Guinea-Bissau.

“The authorities shall impose targeted sanctions on individuals or groups of persons that obstruct the transition process,” Touray said.

He also disclosed that the ECOWAS peacekeeping force deployed in Guinea-Bissau since 2022 has been authorised to provide protection for political leaders and key national institutions in the country, which has a long history of political instability and military intervention in governance.

The summit’s agenda was dominated by two recent coup attempts in the region: the successful takeover in Guinea-Bissau and a failed putsch in neighbouring Benin. ECOWAS strongly condemned both incidents, describing them as serious threats to regional stability and constitutional order.

In response to the attempted coup in Benin, ECOWAS coordinated a rapid security intervention. Nigeria deployed fighter jets and troops, alongside soldiers from Côte d’Ivoire, to support Benin’s civilian government. The bloc said additional troops from Ghana and Sierra Leone are expected to reinforce the mission.

The latest developments come against the backdrop of a series of coups that rocked the region between 2020 and 2023, leading to military rule in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger. All four countries remain under junta control, despite sustained regional and international pressure.

Although Sunday’s summit had been planned before the recent coup attempts, both incidents featured prominently in discussions, alongside preparations for elections held on December 28 in Guinea.

Guinea’s junta leader, Mamady Doumbouya, contested the polls despite an earlier pledge not to run, while former prime minister and opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo was barred from participating. Despite these concerns, Touray said ECOWAS viewed the elections as “significant progress” in Guinea’s transition to civilian rule.

When asked about the credibility of the vote, Touray said the bloc hoped the elections would be “credible, transparent and fair.”

Regional security, particularly in the Sahel, also featured heavily at the summit. Jihadist insurgencies continue to destabilise Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, worsening humanitarian crises and threatening neighbouring countries.

The three Sahelian nations, now under military rule, have withdrawn from ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States. Touray recently called for renewed dialogue with the bloc over shared security challenges, warning that instability in one part of the region affects all member states.

“No border can insulate us from violence,” Sierra Leone President Julius Bio, the current ECOWAS chairman, said during the summit.

Leaders from Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, both suspended from ECOWAS following military takeovers, were absent from the meeting. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu also did not attend and was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Beyond military takeovers, ECOWAS leaders also discussed democratic backsliding in civilian-led states. In October, Côte d’Ivoire re-elected President Alassane Ouattara to a controversial fourth term in an election that excluded key opposition figures, further raising concerns about democratic standards across the region.