By FORMER President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has safely departed Guinea-Bissau following Wednesday’s military coup that toppled the West African nation’s government, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan, who was in the country leading the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, left “on a special flight” with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas.
“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,” Ebienfa stated.
Jonathan had been monitoring Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections when soldiers announced they had seized control of the country.
In a joint statement, Filipe Nyusi, former President of Mozambique and Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; Issifu Kamara, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission; and Jonathan condemned the coup, describing it as “a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process.”
They urged citizens to remain calm and pledged continued support for the country “during this sensitive period,” stressing “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”
Nigeria also expressed strong displeasure at the military takeover. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it received the news “with profound dismay and deep concern,” describing the development as “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
It added that the action violated the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and “poses a serious threat to democracy and regional stability.”
Guinea-Bissau descended into turmoil on Wednesday after military officers announced they had taken “total control,” shut the country’s borders and suspended all electoral processes. Heavy gunfire was reported around the presidential palace as soldiers sealed off major roads.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, declared that a joint command of all branches of the armed forces had assumed power “until further notice.”
Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, speaking by phone to France24, confirmed, “I have been deposed.” AFP reported that he was being held in a building near military headquarters alongside the chief of staff and the interior minister.
Both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had earlier claimed victory in Sunday’s polls, with provisional results expected on Thursday.
The military claimed it had uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the illegal importation of weapons “to alter the constitutional order,” which it said prompted its intervention.
By late Thursday, the military announced the reopening of the country’s borders. “All borders are now open,” General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, told AFP.
More than 6,700 security personnel, including members of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, had been deployed for the elections amid heightened political tensions.
Guinea-Bissau, one of Africa’s poorest nations, has a long history of instability, with four successful coups and numerous attempted overthrows since independence.
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