The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) have condemned the coup attempt in Guinea Bissau and Benin, with support from the Africa Union (AU) and United Nations (UN).
This was during the 68th Ordinary Session of the Authority that commenced at the State House of the Nigerian government on Sunday, December 14, 2025, in Abuja.
The Authority also lauded the Community’s deployment of its standby force to Benin to foil the coup that was attempted by some military officers in the West African nation.
Present at the meeting include President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, who is Chairman of ECOWAS; Benin is being represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, José Maria Neves; Cabo Verde and Côte d’Ivoire are represented by their Vice Presidents.
Others are Adama Barrow from The Gambia, John Dramani Mahama from Ghana, Bassirou Faye of Senegal and Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo.
Guinea Bissau and Guinea remain suspended and were not represented.
The meeting is coming against the backdrop of five turbulent years for West Africa, which saw coups in Mali (2020, 2021), Burkina Faso (twice in 2022), and Niger (2023).
The latest incidents include an attempted coup in Benin on December 7, 2025, and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau.
An over three-hour precursor closed door meeting prior to the commencement of the meeting took place where the leadership deliberated on the serious issues before the opening of the Session.
After the opening, the Heads of States had another closed-door meeting which focused on the main agenda for session; Pronouncements on the Future of the Community, its Annual 2025 Report, Regional Security, Mediation Efforts, and the Transition in Guinea.
There was also a big pronouncement on its firm commitment to review of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).
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