West African Leaders Stranded as Guinea-Bissau Plunges into Coup Chaos
The military in Guinea-Bissau has staged a coup, suspending the electoral process after contested presidential election results and leaving international observers, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, stranded. The African Union, ECOWAS, and Nigeria have condemned the takeover, calling for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the release of detained officials.
A military takeover was announced in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, leaving a 36-member joint election observation mission, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, stranded in the country. The mission, composed of representatives from the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), had been deployed to monitor the presidential election held on Sunday.
The coup occurred after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, prematurely declared victory, despite the electoral commission not having released official results. Following these declarations, soldiers seized control of state institutions, imposed an overnight curfew, closed all land, air, and sea borders, and suspended the country’s electoral process indefinitely.
In a joint statement, the election observers expressed profound concern over the military intervention. They described it as