Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – The Gambia Journal has reliably learned that the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Domingos Simões Pereira, is expected to be released on Friday evening, January 30, 2026, following negotiations led by the Senegalese government with the support of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
His release will, however, be conditional, as he is expected to remain under house arrest.
The release is due to take place in the presence of a special envoy of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye.
Pereira’s Conditional Release After Two Months in Detention
The mediation has been spearheaded by Senegal’s Minister of National Defense, General Birame Diop, who has been in Bissau since Thursday engaging Guinea-Bissau’s transition authorities.
Simões Pereira was arrested on November 26, 2025, the day the military seized power, and has since been held at the Second Police Station in Bissau for more than sixty days.
The Senegalese mission also includes two senior military officers, Colonel Ndiaye and Colonel Manga, as well as Senegal’s ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Moussa Ndoye.
PAIGC Deeply Divided on Next Steps
Despite the anticipated release, divisions have surfaced within the PAIGC. A group of senior party officials, identifying themselves as the “Technical Commission of the Political Bureau of the PAIGC,” said on Friday that the party cannot be led by a president under house arrest.
Speaking at a press conference in Bissau, the group’s spokesperson, Aladje Seco Sanó, criticized the silence of party elders and leaders following Simões Pereira’s arrest.
He argued that the absence of senior officials left party militants vulnerable and contributed to the military’s decision to close the PAIGC headquarters.
The group is now calling for unity within the party and for the creation of conditions to hold the PAIGC’s ordinary congress scheduled for November 2026.
Dias Leaves Nigerian Embassy After Senegal-Backed Talks
Alongside the release of Simões Pereira, the Senegal-led mediation has also secured the departure of independent presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Bissau.
Dias da Costa has been sheltering at the embassy since the November 26, 2025, coup, alongside former Prime Minister Geraldo João Martins.
Sources familiar with the process say General Birame Diop, acting as President Diomaye Faye’s emissary, will personally monitor the exit of both Dias da Costa and Geraldo Martins from the Nigerian Embassy. Both political figures are expected to return directly to their homes.
The coordinated release of Simões Pereira and the safe exit of Dias da Costa mark a significant outcome of regional diplomatic efforts, as Senegal and ECOWAS continue to press for de-escalation and political stabilization in Guinea-Bissau following the military takeover.
