Guinea-Bissau’s military court has issued an order for the opposition leader to return to jail

Domingos Simões Pereira, the opposition leader and former Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, was returned to prison last Friday after a ruling by the military court of the West African nation, according to information provided by his family to Reuters.

The junta that took control in Guinea-Bissau following a coup last year released Pereira, the leader of the revolutionary PAIGC party, in February, seemingly to appease the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.

He had stayed under house arrest due to suspicions of economic crimes.

In a statement emailed to Reuters, Pereira’s family indicated that military leaders are now accusing him of involvement in an alleged coup attempt that took place in October 2025. The statement dismissed claims that Pereira had been “involved in violent or unconstitutional acts.”

Pereira was detained on November 26 when a group of army officers took control prior to the scheduled announcement of the presidential election results.

His family stated that a trial date had not yet been established and expressed worry for his health and safety.

A government spokesperson directed inquiries regarding Pereira’s case to the military court, which was unavailable for comment.

Guinea-Bissau’s electoral commission announced its inability to finalize last year’s election due to the coup, and as a result, a new poll has been set for December 6.