AGP Executive Report

Junta Reshuffle: Guinea-Bissau’s military ruler, General Horta N’Tam, has dismissed Lieutenant-General Sadji Fati, a former defence minister and close ally of ousted president Umaro Sissoco Embaló. The move adds to a series of removals of Embaló loyalists from senior posts. Vaccine Trial: Health Minister Quinhin Nantote says the government has not approved a proposed hepatitis B vaccine study involving newborns, and says any research must meet national laws and ethical standards. Election Delay: The December 6 elections remain in doubt: the prime minister and electoral commission say conditions are not in place for voting. ECOWAS is pressing the junta to begin talks, as regional concern grows over its transition pledge and restrictions.

Health Oversight: Guinea-Bissau’s health minister says the government has not approved a proposed hepatitis B study involving newborns, despite reports that a revised plan had received ethics approval in Denmark. He said research involving children must meet national law and international standards. Election Transition: The December 6 election is in doubt: the prime minister and electoral commission say conditions are not in place for voting. ECOWAS is pressing the junta to begin talks, as scrutiny grows over its promise to restore civilian rule. Maritime Incident: The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship HS Dignity sank after a drone strike off Bulgaria. Eleven crew members were missing; Bulgaria said Russia may be behind the attacks but acknowledged it has no proof.

Vaccine Trial: Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government says it has not approved a proposed hepatitis B study involving newborns, despite reports of renewed approval abroad. Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said any research involving children must meet national law and international ethical standards. Election Transition: The prime minister and electoral commission say conditions are not in place for the December 6 vote, deepening doubts about the junta’s promised civilian handover. ECOWAS is pressing the authorities to begin talks after the election was called off. Foreign Policy: Guinea-Bissau joined seven other countries at the UN in backing Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara as a basis for resolving the dispute.

Vaccine Trial: Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government says it has not approved a proposed hepatitis B vaccine study involving newborns, despite renewed ethics approvals abroad. Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said research involving children must meet national laws and ethical standards. Black Sea Incident: A Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship sank off Bulgaria after a drone attack, leaving 11 sailors missing; five were rescued. Bulgarian officials have not identified who was responsible. Election Delay: Prime Minister and electoral officials say conditions are not in place for the planned December 6 elections, raising fresh doubts about the junta’s transition pledge. ECOWAS is pressing the authorities to begin talks.

Election Delay: Guinea-Bissau’s prime minister and electoral commission say conditions are not in place for the December 6 presidential and legislative elections. The junta has announced no new date, raising fresh doubts about its pledge to restore civilian rule after the 2025 coup. Regional Pressure: ECOWAS is urging the military authorities to begin inclusive talks on a revised timetable, while Senegal is calling for restrictions on political and civil activity to be lifted. Vaccine Trial: A disputed hepatitis B study involving 14,000 newborns has won renewed approval from Danish and Guinea-Bissau ethics bodies. The revised plan excludes babies whose mothers carry the virus, but reports say final government authorization is still pending; critics warn that delaying the birth dose for half the infants risks preventable infections.

Election Delay: Guinea-Bissau’s December 6 presidential and legislative elections are no longer considered feasible, Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té says. Party leadership requirements and missed candidacy deadlines have disrupted preparations. The electoral commission agrees, but authorities have set no new date, deepening doubts over the junta’s pledge to restore civilian rule. Regional Pressure: ECOWAS is urging the military authorities to hold broad, transparent talks with political and civil society groups on a revised timetable. Senegal has also called for restrictions on political and civic activity to be lifted.

Election Delay: Guinea-Bissau’s December 6 presidential and legislative elections are in doubt after Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té said deadlines and preparations make the vote unfeasible. No replacement date has been announced, leaving the decision to transitional President Horta N’Tam. Regional Pressure: ECOWAS is urging the junta to start inclusive talks on a new timetable, while Senegal calls for political and civic restrictions to be lifted. Both say any change must be transparent and include clear guarantees for a return to civilian rule. Transition Under Scrutiny: The delay intensifies doubts over the junta’s pledge to hand power back after the November 2025 coup, which halted the previous election before results were announced. Health Oversight: A Danish university has approved a CDC-funded trial that would delay hepatitis B shots for half of 14,000 newborns in Guinea-Bissau, but the country’s government has not granted final authorization.

ECOWAS Pressure: The regional bloc is urging Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities to hold broad talks with political parties and civil society after the December 6 elections were declared unfeasible. It wants a transparent, inclusive timetable and guarantees for restoring constitutional rule. Election Delay: Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té and the electoral commission cite missed candidate-registration deadlines, party leadership issues and a disrupted election schedule. No new date has been announced; the decision rests with transitional leader Horta N’Tam. Junta and Trust: The delay deepens uncertainty after the 2025 coup halted an election process. Authorities have barred former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló from returning, while Senegal has called for political and civil restrictions to be eased.

Election Delay: Guinea-Bissau’s prime minister and electoral commission say the December 6 presidential and parliamentary elections cannot proceed: party leadership requirements remain unmet and the candidate-submission deadline has passed. No new date has been set, leaving the decision to transitional president Horta N’Tam and deepening uncertainty over the return to civilian rule after the 2025 coup. Regional Pressure: ECOWAS is urging broad, transparent talks on a revised timetable, while Senegal has called on military rulers to ease restrictions on political and civil activity. Vaccine Trial: Guinea-Bissau authorities have reportedly approved a controversial study planning to withhold the hepatitis B birth dose from half of 14,000 newborns for six weeks. A Danish university also approved the trial, drawing renewed criticism from health experts over its ethics.

Election Delay: Guinea-Bissau’s prime minister says the December 6 presidential and legislative elections cannot go ahead: party leadership requirements and candidate-submission deadlines have not been met. No new date has been announced, leaving the decision to transitional leader Horta N’Tam. Regional Pressure: ECOWAS is urging broad, transparent talks on a revised timetable and a return to constitutional rule. Senegal has also called on the military authorities to ease restrictions on political and civil activity. Vaccine Trial: A controversial hepatitis B study involving 14,000 newborns in Guinea-Bissau has received approval from a Danish university, with local approval also reported. The trial would withhold the birth dose from half the infants for six weeks; health experts have condemned the plan as unethical.

Election Crisis: Guinea-Bissau’s December 6 presidential and parliamentary elections appear set to slip after Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té and the electoral commission said the timetable is no longer workable. Party leadership requirements remain unmet and the candidate-submission deadline has passed. No replacement date has been announced; the formal decision rests with transitional president Horta Inta-A. Senegal is urging the military authorities to ease restrictions and agree on any change through inclusive, transparent dialogue. Vaccine Trial: A Danish university has approved a controversial Guinea-Bissau study involving 14,000 newborns, with half not receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Guinea-Bissau officials have also reportedly approved the project, which was previously halted after ethical concerns and is drawing renewed criticism over its design and proposed US funding.

Election Uncertainty: Guinea-Bissau’s prime minister and electoral commission say the December 6 presidential and parliamentary vote cannot proceed as planned. Party leadership requirements remain unmet and the candidate filing deadline has passed. No formal postponement or replacement date has been announced; that decision rests with transitional president Horta N’Tam. Regional Pressure: Senegal, mediating for ECOWAS, is urging military rulers to ease restrictions on political and civil activity and hold inclusive talks, with clear guarantees for a return to civilian rule. Military Tensions: The election dispute follows the November 2025 coup that halted the previous vote. Former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló remains barred from returning, while the junta has urged members of his former presidential guard to surrender their weapons.

Election Delay: Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té and the electoral commission say Guinea-Bissau cannot hold its December 6 presidential and legislative elections as planned. Parties have yet to complete leadership congresses, candidate deadlines have passed and the electoral timetable is slipping. No new date has been set; the decision rests with the transitional president. Military Tensions: The junta has barred ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from returning from exile and urged presidential guards seen as loyal to him to surrender their weapons, warning of consequences for those who refuse. The developments deepen uncertainty over the promised return to civilian rule after last year’s coup. Health Controversy: A Danish university has approved a US-funded hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau that would withhold the birth dose from half the participating babies. Critics call the design unethical; the trial had previously been suspended amid objections.

Election Delay: Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té says Guinea-Bissau’s December 6 presidential and legislative elections must be postponed, with no new date set. The electoral commission says conditions are not in place; party leadership congresses remain outstanding, and the deadline for candidates to submit bids has passed. The vote was meant to restore civilian rule after last November’s coup. Security Tensions: Junta leader Horta N’Tam has urged presidential guards loyal to exiled former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló to surrender their weapons, warning of consequences for those who refuse. Embaló has been barred from returning to contest the election. Vaccine Study Dispute: A reported CDC plan to allocate $1.6 million to a previously suspended hepatitis B vaccine study involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau has drawn renewed ethical objections from Stand Up for Science. The group says the earlier protocol raised concerns, including withholding a proven intervention.

Security and Elections: Junta leader Horta N’Tam has ordered members of the presidential guard loyal to exiled former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló to surrender their weapons, warning of consequences for those who refuse. Several guards have already been disarmed and placed under military supervision. The move comes as the junta bars Embaló from returning, citing security concerns, and prepares for elections scheduled for December 6. Embaló has said he intends to run. Health Research: The US CDC is reportedly setting aside $1.6 million for a hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau that was previously suspended amid ethics concerns. Researchers revised the study protocol in January.

FIFA Ranking: Guinea-Bissau gained more ranking points than any other national team during the September–October international break after beating Nigeria 3-0. The win also put the Djurtus atop their 2027 AFCON qualifying group. Election Tensions: The military junta is searching homes and containers in Bissau for weapons it says threaten security; some arms are reportedly linked to allies of former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló. With the December 6 election approaching, Embaló remains in exile in Morocco after the junta blocked his return, citing security concerns. He says he intends to run, while critics warn the crackdown could affect the contest.