Domingos Simões Pereira Detained as Regional Leaders Call for His Release

Domingos Simões Pereira, former prime minister and president of the PAIGC and Guinea‑Bissau’s National Assembly, was moved back to prison by the country’s military court after being held under house arrest on suspicion of economic crimes. His family said the court now accuses him of involvement in an alleged coup attempt in October 2025, which Pereira denied, stating he has not engaged in violent or unconstitutional acts. No trial date has been set, and his relatives voiced concerns for his health and safety.

The detention follows a military coup on 26 November 2025 that toppled the elected government, interrupted electoral results and led to the postponement of elections to 6 December 2025. The junta had briefly released Pereira in February 2024 in an apparent effort to appease ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc.

Internationally, the governments of Cabo Verde and Portugal, as well as the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) and Portugal’s Socialist Party, have appealed to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), ECOWAS, the United Nations and the broader international community to secure Pereira’s immediate release and protect his fundamental rights. They described his detention as arbitrary political persecution and urged diplomatic pressure to restore constitutional order in Guinea‑Bissau.