Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A military court in Guinea-Bissau has ordered the detention of the country's main opposition leader, Domingos Simões Pereira, sending him back to prison on Friday, 10 July 2026, over allegations that he helped finance an attempted coup in October 2025, according to multiple security sources and local media reports. Pereira, the president of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), was taken into custody shortly after appearing before a military court in the capital, Bissau, where a judge informed him of the decision to remand him in preventive detention.
The move marks a dramatic escalation in the legal troubles of the 62-year-old opposition figure, who had been under house arrest since January after spending two months in detention at the Segunda Esquadra prison in Bissau following the military overthrow of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló on 26 November 2025. Pereira was initially arrested in the wake of the coup, which saw General Horta N'Tam take control of the military government, but was released and placed under house arrest in late January. According to a security source who spoke with AFP, Pereira was escorted to the Segunda Esquadra prison under heavy guard by rapid-response police officers wearing balaclavas, and the entire process unfolded within minutes of his arrival at the court. "Upon his arrival, the military court judge informed him of the decision to imprison him," the source said.
The charges against Pereira stem from allegations that he was involved in an attempted coup in October 2025, which he is accused of helping to finance. He also faces accusations related to separate financial crimes and an alleged involvement in a 2023 coup attempt. Both alleged coup plots occurred during the presidency of Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was himself overthrown by the military in November 2025. The military government that took power has been investigating Pereira's role in the unrest that preceded the coup, with the October 2025 plot being a key focus of their inquiry.
Pereira's legal team has vehemently rejected the proceedings, boycotting the hearing on the grounds that they had not been properly notified of their client's appearance before the judge and that the proceedings were taking place outside the legal framework. Lawyer Roberto Indeque told local radio that "we decided to boycott the hearing by refusing to appear, on the grounds that the proceedings were taking place outside the legal framework and that we had not even been informed of our client's appearance before the judge". The PAIGC party and Pereira's lawyers have dismissed the accusations as politically motivated, alleging that the case is designed to prevent him from contesting the presidential election scheduled for 6 December. The party has accused the current military regime, which it says is still being directed "at a distance" by former President Embaló, of seeking to eliminate Pereira from political life, and has warned of potential social unrest if he is imprisoned.
The development has drawn sharp criticism from the PAIGC and international observers. The party's permanent commission accused the regime of trying to eliminate Pereira "politically and physically," claiming in a statement that "the objective of this regime, which continues to be directed at a distance by Umaro Sissoco Embaló, is clear: to remove President Domingos Simões Pereira from political life and, eventually, to eliminate him physically". Portuguese MEPs Catarina Martins and Marta Temido, along with former diplomat Ana Gomes, have also condemned the detention, denouncing what they described as the international community's inaction.
Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation that has experienced five coups and numerous attempted overthrows since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, remains mired in political instability, crippling poverty, and endemic corruption. The country is also a major transit point for drug smuggling between South America and Europe. The detention of Pereira, a former prime minister and the country's most prominent opposition figure, is likely to further deepen the political crisis in the nation, as it prepares for a presidential election later this year. With the opposition leader now back in prison, the prospects for a peaceful and credible vote in December appear increasingly uncertain.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments