Former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi were stranded in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday after soldiers announced a takeover and shut the country’s borders.
Both leaders, who were in Bissau as heads of election observer missions, were confirmed safe in their hotel rooms. Flights were suspended, leaving several observers unable to leave the country.
A group of military officers appeared on state television, declaring that they had removed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from office. They said they had suspended the electoral process, closed the borders, and imposed a night-time curfew.
Embaló later told France 24 by phone, “I have been deposed.” His exact location remained unknown as of last night.
The officers said they acted to stop a destabilisation plot involving local politicians and drug traffickers. They announced the formation of a “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” which they said would run the country until further notice.
Gunfire was heard earlier near the electoral commission headquarters, the presidential palace, and the interior ministry. Witnesses reported panic as people fled the streets. There were no confirmed casualties.
The military statement came a day before the expected announcement of provisional results from Sunday’s presidential election, in which Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had both claimed victory.
A spokesperson for Embaló accused unidentified gunmen linked to Dias of attacking the electoral commission. Allies of Dias denied the claim, saying he was in a meeting with observers when shots were heard.
Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability. The country has experienced at least nine coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. Embaló, elected in 2019, has said he survived multiple coup attempts. His critics accuse him of exaggerating threats to justify crackdowns.
The nation of two million people remains one of the poorest in the world. Its remote islands and weak institutions have made it a major transit point for Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
Jonathan, Nyusi, and other observer mission leaders issued a joint statement condemning the military action. They said the voting process had been peaceful and called for a return to constitutional order.
They urged the release of detained officials involved in the election process and warned that the coup threatened the country’s democratic progress.
