Guinea-Bissau’s ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has arrived in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, days after a military takeover removed him from office. A source close to the former leader confirmed his arrival on Saturday, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The military seized power on Wednesday, interrupting the electoral process before the results of the weekend’s presidential and legislative elections could be announced. The abrupt takeover marks yet another chapter in the long-standing political volatility that has characterised the small Portuguese-speaking West African nation.
However ARISE News earlier reported that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Observer Mission to Guinea-Bissau, described the takeover not as a traditional military coup but as a “ceremonial coup” orchestrated by Embaló himself.
Following his ouster, Embaló initially departed Bissau aboard a special flight to neighbouring Senegal. Meanwhile, military leaders moved swiftly to install Major-General Horta Inta-a as the country’s transitional president on Thursday, further consolidating their control.
Meanwhile, AFP has confirmed Embalo’s presence in the Congolese capital, citing government insiders there.
The situation in Guinea-Bissau continues to draw international attention, as observers monitor how the transition will unfold and whether the country can return to constitutional order after yet another disruption in its democratic trajectory.
Jonathan, after his return to Abuja from Guinea-Bissau, briefed Nigeria President Bola Tinubu on the developments. Jonathan described the takeover not as a traditional military coup but as a “ceremonial coup” orchestrated by Embaló himself.
“What happened in Guinea Bissau is not what some people would call palace coup. It was not a palace coup. I was looking for the appropriate word to describe it and I could not get. That is why I called it a ceremonial coup. It was a ceremony conducted by the Head of State himself, that is why I say it was a ceremonial coup,” Jonathan said, stressing the need for ECOWAS to engage with the military to release opposition figures and announce the election winner.
He said: “The key thing is that the election was concluded, tallying of results was almost concluded. In fact, the results are known and the key thing is that the winner of that election must be announced. Well you cannot kick out the military with force otherwise people will die, but let us know the winner of the election.
“So what I am asking the ECOWAS leadership to do is to reach out to the leadership in Guinea Bissau. Talk to them, they are human beings and they know the right thing to be done. First for them to release the opposition man because the man has not committed any offense, he didn’t announce himself as the winner of the election. If he had done that they would say it’s a treasonable offence so there is no reason to arrest him. And then they should announce the result and if the military would agree, the person who won the elections should be inaugurated as the President of the country.”
Melissa Enoch
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