Africa-Press. Local media in Guinea-Bissau reported that a military court has decided to place the opposition leader in the country, Domingos Simões Pereira, in pre-trial detention pending investigation.
On Wednesday, the high military court in the capital Bissau interrogated the opposition leader and head of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Domingos Pereira, regarding allegations of involvement in an alleged coup attempt that occurred in October 2025.
Pereira appeared before the military court on Wednesday afternoon after being notified of the summons earlier that same day, before being asked to return for further questioning in the case accusing him of participating in planning the coup attempt.
He also faces separate charges of financial crimes, in addition to being accused of involvement in another coup that took place in 2023.
Upon arriving at the military court on Friday morning to appear before it, Pereira was immediately transferred, under heavy security, to the Segunda Esquadra prison in the capital Bissau.
Pereira was one of several senior politicians arrested by the military following its seizure of power in November 2025.
The November 2025 coup saw the military oust President Umaro Sissoco Embaló just days after presidential and legislative elections were held.
The military stated at the time that it acted to prevent bloodshed among supporters of competing candidates, announcing it would manage the country for one year.
Pereira leads the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and had been barred from running in the elections.
Since his release from prison in January, he has been under house arrest in the capital Bissau.
Pereira and his party’s lawyers assert that the charges against him are part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at preventing him from participating in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for December 6.
Guinea-Bissau has experienced five military coups and several attempts to overthrow governments since gaining independence in 1974.
There were two attempts to oust former President Embaló prior to his ousting in 2025, the last of which occurred in December 2023.
Extreme poverty and political turmoil in the West African nation have contributed to creating a fertile environment for corruption and drug trafficking.
