Guinea-Bissau’s decision to expel major Portuguese media outlets just three months ahead of its rescheduled national elections has sparked international condemnation and deepened concerns over democratic erosion.
On 15 August, state broadcasters RTP Africa, RDP Africa, and news agency Lusa were ordered to cease operations in the country. The move, condemned as “highly reprehensible and unjustifiable” by the Portuguese government, prompted Lisbon to summon Guinea-Bissau’s ambassador for urgent talks. No formal explanation has been offered by Bissau. Indira Correia Balde, head of Guinea-Bissau’s journalists’ union, said the shutdown marks a dangerous escalation. Journalists are being “systematically obstructed in their work, publicly insulted, and prevented from doing their jobs,” she said, describing a worsening atmosphere since President Umaro Sissoco Embalo took power in 2020.
Embalo dissolved parliament in late 2023 amid unrest, claiming a coup attempt, and has ruled by decree since. Though his mandate expired in early 2024, he plans to run for re-election in November. Critics accuse him of tightening control ahead of the vote. Reporters Without Borders called the media expulsion a “severe blow to press freedom” and warned of rising intimidation. Opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Baciro Dja and PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira, condemned the act as a prelude to electoral manipulation. Guinea-Bissau’s actions have placed it at odds with its obligations as the current rotating chair of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, which upholds press freedom and democratic norms.