Africa-Press. Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have summoned opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira to appear before a military court on Friday, February 13, without officially disclosing the reasons for the summons.
However, military sources have suggested it may be linked to an alleged coup attempt dating back to last October, amid an increasingly tense political climate in the country.
The development comes as Pereira’s party, the PAIGC, faces mounting pressure. Party members say they are being subjected to “systematic attacks” allegedly orchestrated by former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló from exile.
On February 6, Bissau’s military council reportedly received two close associates of the ousted president to discuss security guarantees for his possible return, according to informed sources.
At the presidential palace, General Horta Ntam met with the delegation close to Embaló, while the PAIGC headquarters remains closed by order of the new authorities. The closure is linked to demands that the party change its flag in line with a recent constitutional amendment banning political parties from using national symbols.
Domingos Simões Pereira is living in near-total isolation at his home, barred from making public statements. He faces allegations of corruption and involvement in the alleged October 2025 coup attempt, according to a military source. A PAIGC member based in Lisbon described the accusations as “strange,” arguing that they come from “the same actors who seized power through a coup.”
Amid this turbulent backdrop, opposition leaders are voicing growing concerns about the credibility of elections scheduled for December, particularly following recent amendments to the electoral law and the political parties law, raising questions about the future of the democratic process in the country.
