Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has safely departed Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that toppled the country’s government, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Jonathan and his team were evacuated without incident.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,”he said.
Jonathan had been in the country as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, monitoring last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections before soldiers announced they had taken power.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Jonathan; Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; and Issifu Kamara, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, denounced the military takeover, warning that it was aimed at derailing the country’s fragile democracy.
They described the coup as “a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process,”and urged citizens to remain calm. The observers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the nation “during this sensitive period,” stressing “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”
The Federal Government also condemned the development, saying it poses a grave risk to democratic norms and regional peace. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it received news of the military action “with profound dismay and deep concern,” describing the coup as “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
It added that the takeover violates the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Guinea-Bissau descended into chaos on Wednesday when military officers declared “total control”of the state, shut its borders, and halted all electoral activities. Heavy gunfire was reported near the presidential palace as troops blocked major roads across the capital.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, announced that a command structure “composed of all branches of the armed forces was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.”
In a phone call with France24, embattled incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló said, “I have been deposed.”He was reportedly sheltering within a building behind the military headquarters “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior,”according to AFP.
Both Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias had already declared victory in the elections, with provisional results expected Thursday.
The military has accused unnamed actors of plotting with “national drug lords”and importing weapons “to alter the constitutional order.”
Later on Thursday, military officials announced that borders had been reopened. General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, told AFP, “All borders are now open.”
Boluwatife Enome
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