On 12th December, hundreds of people demonstrated in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, protesting against the military coup of last month and demanding the release of opposition leaders, when the heads of the region are set to meet on Sunday to discuss the crisis situation.

In Bissau, demonstrators confronted security forces, burning tires and demanding the release of Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was the African Party of the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) leader and had been detained during the coup, by the family and the security sources.

On November 26, a day before the electoral commission was to declare the outcome of legislative and presidential elections, Army officers overthrew President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. The next day, the junta placed Horta Inta-a, Major-General, as a transitional leader.

“The regional bloc ECOWAS will convene at Abuja, Nigeria, to deliberate on Guinea-Bissau and also deliberate on sanctions against the West African country,” Sierra Leone, Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba said last week.

The activist of civil society, Vigario Luis Balanta, stated at a press conference on Friday that they do not recognise the transitional government and demanded a general strike and a week of civil disobedience. The military government that is in transition was not able to comment instantly.

On Tuesday, the junta released a 12-month transitional charter that barred Inta-a and his prime minister from taking part in any future elections, declaring the roadmap two weeks after halting the constitution.

One demonstrator, Antonio Sami, said, “We are the youth, and we are the future of this country. We will never, ever conceive that our sovereignty is to be called into question.

It is the ninth coup within five years in West and Central Africa that belongs to a series of unstable events in Guinea-Bissau. It also has a history of military interventions and is a notorious country that trafficked cocaine.