A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met on Monday in Bissau with the military who seized power in Guinea-Bissau, renewing its condemnation of the coup and demanding a return to constitutional order.

Nigeria announced Monday evening that it had granted asylum to opposition leader Fernando Dias. Dias, who ran against incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo in the November 23 presidential election, had claimed to have escaped arrest on the day of the coup and to have been in hiding ever since.

On November 26, the day before the expected announcement of the results of the presidential and legislative elections in this Portuguese-speaking West African country, the military overthrew outgoing President Embalo and suspended the ongoing electoral process.

"We had productive discussions, both sides expressed their concerns," Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba, Sierra Leone's foreign minister, told reporters after the meeting with the junta. President Julius Maada Bio led the delegation from the West African regional organization.

The delegation "condemned the coup and called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order, which notably implies allowing the electoral process to reach its logical conclusion," added Mr. Kabba.

The current ECOWAS chairman, Julius Maada Bio, stated on X his "unconditional support for the restoration of constitutional order." Since the coup, ECOWAS has suspended Guinea-Bissau from "all its decision-making bodies."

For his part, Joao Bernardo Vieira, the newly appointed foreign minister, hailed a "very productive meeting" and pledged to "continue discussions to find a solution as quickly as possible."

- "imperative of peace" -

Nigeria has granted political asylum to Fernando Dias, who told AFP the day after the coup that he was "safe" and hiding in the country, after having managed to escape the previous day from armed men who arrived at his campaign headquarters in Bissau to arrest him.

He had claimed on the same day to have won the presidential election, accusing Mr. Embalo of having "organized" the coup that interrupted the electoral process and brought the military to power.

The Nigerian federal government has decided "to grant political asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dias Da Costa," Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alkasim Abdulkadir said in a statement sent to AFP.

This decision is "guided solely by the imperatives of peace, the security of persons and regional stability", in accordance with "Nigeria's historical role as a stabilizing force in West Africa", according to the spokesman.

Briefly arrested by the military on the day of the coup, then left for Senegal the next day on a flight chartered by the Senegalese government, outgoing President Embalo arrived on Saturday "in Brazzaville to stay there", according to a source close to the Congolese presidency who requested anonymity.

The history of Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese-speaking country in West Africa slightly larger than Belgium, is marked by coups, successful or failed, and political unrest.

The junta led by General Horta N'Tam, a close associate of Mr. Embalo, formed a new 28-member government on Saturday, mostly composed of civilians.

The military had cited the discovery by the "general intelligence" of a "plan to destabilize the country with the involvement of national drug lords" to justify their takeover.

Guinea-Bissau is considered a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, to the point that some analysts consider it a "narco-state" and some of its officials are described by the United States as "drug barons".

Located between Senegal and Guinea (Conakry), the country had already experienced four coups and a host of attempted coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974. The proclamation of election results has often given rise to disputes.