The Federal Government has confirmed that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that overthrew the country’s government.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, Jonathan departed the country aboard a special flight alongside members of his delegation, including former UN envoy Mohamed Chambas.
Jonathan had travelled to Guinea-Bissau as the head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission to monitor last Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections. His stay coincided with the sudden announcement by the military that it had taken control of the country.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Jonathan, together with Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and leader of the AU Election Observation Mission, and Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS mission, strongly condemned the coup.
They described it as a deliberate attack on Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process and urged citizens to remain calm. The observers also pledged continued support for the country through what they called a “sensitive period,” emphasizing the need to safeguard peace and stability.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a strongly worded statement describing the coup as a threat to democracy and regional security.
The ministry said the development was received “with profound dismay,” stressing that the military takeover violates the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which prohibits unconstitutional changes of government in member states.
Guinea-Bissau descended into chaos on Wednesday after soldiers announced they had assumed “total control,” shut the borders, and halted the electoral process.
Gunshots rang out near the presidential palace, while troops blocked key roads in the capital.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, said the command made up of all branches of the armed forces would run the country until further notice.
Speaking to France24, the country’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, confirmed that he had been removed from office. AFP reported that he was sheltering in a building behind the military headquarters alongside the chief of staff and the interior minister.
Tensions were already high as both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had prematurely declared victory in last Sunday’s elections ahead of the provisional results.
The military later claimed it had uncovered a plot by “national drug lords” involving arms smuggling aimed at disrupting the constitutional order.
By Thursday afternoon, military authorities announced that all borders had been reopened. General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, confirmed the development to AFP.
More than 6,700 personnel, including ECOWAS Stabilisation Forces had been deployed for the elections amid fears of unrest. The West African nation, one of the poorest globally, has a long history of instability, with four successful coups and several failed attempts since gaining independence.
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