Military government bans demonstrations and reopens public offices ahead of ECOWAS mediation visit.

Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers have banned protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level visit by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc, which is seeking to restore constitutional order following last week’s coup.

The military government, which seized power in what some West African leaders have called a sham coup, announced late on Sunday that all demonstrations, strikes, and activities considered threats to peace and stability are prohibited.

The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries, and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations.

The announcement came after protests in Bissau on Saturday, where hundreds of people, mainly youths, demanded the release of detained opposition leaders and the publication of presidential election results.

The ECOWAS mediation team, consisting of the presidents of Togo, Cape Verde, and Senegal along with the ECOWAS Commission president, was expected in Bissau on Monday.

The delegation aims to convince the coup leaders to restore constitutional order and release the contested presidential election results.

ECOWAS has warned it may impose sanctions on individuals or groups responsible for disrupting Guinea-Bissau’s electoral and democratic processes.

CBI News reports that interim president installed by the military, Major-General Horta Inta-a, defended the coup as a measure to prevent a plot by narcotraffickers from capturing Guinean democracy. He pledged to oversee a one-year transition starting immediately.

The coup underscores Guinea-Bissau’s ongoing political instability. The country, a key cocaine transit hub, has a long history of military interventions in politics.