Guinea-Bissau has suspended political relations with Cape Verde after accusing the island nation of interfering in its internal affairs following calls for the release of opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira. Cape Verde had urged Guinea-Bissau’s authorities to immediately release Pereira, who was placed in pre-trial detention last week over allegations linked to an attempted coup in October 2025. Authorities accuse him of helping finance the alleged plot, charges he denies.
Pereira, leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), also faces separate accusations involving financial crimes and alleged involvement in a 2023 coup attempt. He was among several senior politicians detained after the military seized power in November 2025, days after presidential and parliamentary elections. Before his latest detention, Pereira had been under house arrest in Bissau since his release from prison in January.
A spokesperson for Guinea-Bissau’s National Transitional Council said on Wednesday that Cape Verde had no authority to comment on the country’s political and judicial matters. The council, created by the military authorities after the coup, did not provide details on what the suspension of “political” relations would mean in practice. The dispute has added new tension to relations between the two West African countries, which share deep historical ties. Cape Verde’s ruling party has longstanding links with Pereira’s PAIGC, and both nations were united during a joint struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule between 1961 and 1974. Regional observers say the diplomatic row highlights wider concerns over political instability and democratic transitions in West Africa following a series of military takeovers in recent years.
